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Children with cancer exhibited no increased risk for PTSD
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Children with cancer were no more likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder or posttraumatic stress symptoms than their healthy counterparts, according to study results.
Researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital evaluated 255 hospital patients aged 8 to 17 years who were diagnosed with cancer, as well as 101 healthy children recruited from area schools.
All participants were assessed for PTSD using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA), a structured interview designed to provide current and lifetime diagnoses of PTSD. Children also were asked questions about possible psychological benefits or growth conferred by difficult events. Parents provided information about possible symptoms of PTSD in their children.
Researchers found that 52.6% of children with cancer considered the disease to be a traumatic event; however, this number decreased to 23.8% in children who had been diagnosed at least 5 years earlier. The diagnostic interviews determined that 0.4% of the children with cancer met the criteria for current PTSD, whereas 2.8% could be characterized as having lifetime PTSD. According to parent reports, 1.6% of the children with cancer met the criteria for current PTSD, whereas 5.9% could be categorized as having lifetime PTSD.
In the children with cancer who met the criteria for PTSD, the trauma was found to be cancer-related in only two of the children. The other children reported other traumatic incidents, such as hurricanes or drive-by shootings.
Researchers observed no difference between PTSD rates in the children with cancer and those in the control group (P>.1). Although self-reported PTSD symptom levels were lower in children with cancer, the levels did not differ from controls when all children were discussing the most traumatic event they had experienced (P=.067).
When specifically addressing cancer-related events, however, PTSD symptoms in the cancer group were significantly lower than among the controls (P=.002). Moreover, when discussing potential psychological benefits to be gained from cancer, children in the cancer group were significantly more likely to perceive opportunities for personal growth than their peers without cancer (P<.001).
Sean Phipps
The findings demonstrate the resilience and capacity for emotional growth shown by young cancer patients, according to researcher Sean Phipps, PhD, chair of the department of psychology at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
“These results should be very reassuring to childhood cancer patients and their families,” Phipps said in a press release. “A cancer diagnosis is a highly significant and challenging event, but this study highlights the impressive capacity of children to adjust to changes in their lives and in most cases do just fine or even thrive emotionally as a result.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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