Assessment of the intensity of state-trait anxiety of children with cancer

Abstract

Introduction Children with cancer face many difficulties on a daily basis which place them at increased risk of developing anxiety and discomfort. Objectives To assess the intensity of state-trait anxiety in children with cancer. Methods The sample of the study consisted of 100 children from Greek Children’s Hospital, aged 8-16 years, of which 56 had cancer, representing the study group while the control-group was 44 in an outpatient clinic with endocrinological problems. Data were collected by the completion of the questionnaire “State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for children” by Ch. Spielberger. Statistical package S.P.S.S. was used for statistical analysis. 22 and the statistical test, t-test and anova. The significance level was set at p 0.05. Children whose fathers were of higher education experienced less anxiety and differed significantly from those of primary and secondary education, p=0.036 and p=0.021, respectively. Comparison between control group and study group in relation to gender, showed that girls with cancer experienced trait anxiety of higher intensity, p=0.029 but children between 14-16 years from the control group experienced trait anxiety of higher intensity, p=0.030. Conclusions Children of both groups experienced mild to moderate anxiety and its intensity was related to socio-demographic factors of the children and their parents. Disclosure of Interest None Declared