Emotional and behavioral symptoms in children with acute leukemia

Background and Objectives. The diagnosis of leukemia is probably one of the most severe stressors that children can experience and may be associated w ith emotional and behavioral symptoms indicating comorbidity with mental he alth disorders. This study aims to evaluate the presence of emotional and b ehavioral symptoms in children with acute leukemia exposed to chemotherapy from outpatient services at two university hospitals in Brazil. Design and Methods, In this cross-sectional study, emotional and behavioral symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in three groups of children aged 5-14 years: a) children with acute leukemia (n = 21 ); b) children with blood dyscrasias, (n = 21); c) children evaluated or tr eated in a pediatric outpatient service (n = 33). Results. Children with blood dyscrasias had significantly fewer symptoms of externalization (delinquent and aggressive behavior) than pediatric contro ls (p < 0.05). Children with leukemia did not differ from the two other gro ups regarding symptoms of externalization. No significant difference on the scores of the CBCL internalization dimension (anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms and withdrawal) was found among the three groups. Interpretation and Conclusions. These findings seem to indicate that childr en with acute leukemia do not have more emotional or behavioral symptoms th an children with benign hematologic or physical diseases suggesting that co morbidity with mental disorders is not higher in children with acute leukem ia than in children in the other two groups. (C) 2001, Ferrata Storti Found ation.