Post-traumatic stress & growth in childhood cancer survivors / parents
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Factors contributing to post-traumatic stress and growth in survivors of childhood malignancy and in their parents
IRAS ID
194112
Contact name
Rod Skinner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 29 days
Research summary
The incidence of severe, potentially disabling post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) is disproportionately high in childhood cancer survivors (CCS) and their parents. Attendance at school aids return to some degree of normality and can be an important refuge from hospital and treatment. Several risk factors have been identified for the development of PTSS in CCS, but little is known about the relationship between these predictors, school attendance during treatment/recovery and the presence of late effects in relation to longer term psychosocial outcome. Recent research has looked at the concept of post traumatic growth (PTG) in CCS but little is known about factors that may encourage or inhibit its development.
We hypothesise that school attendance is an important predictor and modulator of PTSS, PTG and social competence in long-term survivors of childhood malignancy.
The aims of this pilot study are to investigate:
1) Personal, treatment, acute and chronic toxicity factors that may predict the occurrence of PTSS and PTG in children and their parents after treatment for childhood cancer and leukaemia;
a) In particular, whether school attendance during treatment and the first 6 months afterwards is related to the later occurrence of PTSS and PTG in childhood cancer survivors
2) The relationship between school attendance and later social competence in survivors.
3) Whether social competence is a protective factor for PTSS.REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NE/0058
Date of REC Opinion
12 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion