An Evaluation of Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents in an Inpatient Oncology Unit: A 6-month Follow-up Study

Abstract

Aim: Childhood cancers are life-threatening diseases which are universally distressing and potentially traumatic for children and their families at the time of diagnosis, during treatment, and beyond. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine child patients between the ages of 0-18 years receiving treatment in a pediatric oncology hospital for various pediatric cancers who consented to participate in this study were recruited. The participants were assessed via Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version-Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition/K-SADS-PL-DSM-5 for ages 6-18 by a trained and certified child and adolescent psychiatrist. The clinical assessments of patients aged 0-5 years were completed by a trained child and adolescent psychiatrist in agreement with the DSM-5 and the standard principles of psychiatric interview for the pediatric population. The previous and current psychiatric diagnoses of the participants were recorded. The Quality-of-Life Scale for Children was administered to the participants and their caregivers at the first interview and at the 6th month of follow-up. Results: While no significant differences were observed in the quality of life of children with a novel pediatric cancer diagnosis and children with cancer recurrence/ongoing treatment per their own reports, the parents reported significant improvement in the quality of life of those children who had a novel cancer diagnosis after six months. Conclusion: The parents’ and their children’s reports were highly correlated, and this association remained significant in multiple linear regression analyses for both the initial interviews and the follow-ups. The parents’ reports on their children’s quality of life appear to be reliable in accurately predicting their children’s quality of life in the clinical setting.

Keywords

• pediatric oncology
• quality of life
• child and adolescent mental health
• psycho-oncology