CHILDHOOD-CANCER - A 2-YEAR PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT OF CHILDREN AND PARENTS

Objective: To follow prospectively the psychological adjustment of you ng children, parents, and families during the first 2 years after the children's diagnosis of cancer. Method: children aged 2 to 5 years wit h cancer diagnoses and their parents and families (n = 38) were assess ed immediately after diagnosis, 1 year after diagnosis, and 2 years af ter diagnosis. At each assessment, the psychological adjustment of the children and their families was compared with the adjustment of a coh ort of children and families in the general community (n = 39). Result s: Children with cancer and their parents experienced significantly mo re emotional distress than children and parents in the community durin g the period immediately after diagnosis. However: the number of probl ems experienced by the children with cancer and their parents declined during the first year after the children's diagnosis and stabilized a t a level comparable with that found among children and parents in the general community. Conclusion: Although the results are consistent wi th reports that suggest that in the longer term the prevalence of psyc hological problems among children with cancer is similar to that found among children in the general community, they also highlight the cons iderable distress experienced by children and parents during the perio d immediately after the children's diagnosis.