Children's Hospital of Richmond, Richmond, VA
Madhu S Gowda , Anne G.C Mauck , Matthew Bitsko , Alma Morgan , Robyn Dillon , Kamar Godder
Background: It has been described that the transition at the end of treatment is a time for relief that the treatment is over but also for fear of recurrence, dealing with the physical sequelae of treatment, reintegration back with friends and with school. To address these concerns we developed a transition program with a goal to provide information, offer educational support and also assess the needs of this group by individual interviews and by measuring stress/anxiety/depression among patients and parents. Methods: Patients who were between 3 months pre and 1 year post end of treatment were enrolled. We conducted 4 educational ‘Forums’, worked with them to develop education plans by individual testing and school meetings were held to implement educational plans. Emotional status was assessed with Questionnaires such as the Revised Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-P), Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the State Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI-C). Results: We had 7 patients attending the first 2 forums. When it was opened up to those beyond 1 year from the end of treatment, we had about 17 patient/parents that attended each of the subsequent forums. Compared to the numbers attending the forums, there was a higher request for one-to-one testing, individual school meeting, and requests for educational resources (53 school meetings held during that period). We had 38 parents and 21 children that completed the psychological screeners in total. On the RCADS-P, parents most often reported elevated symptoms of depression in their children. Findings showed that very few transition patients endorsed significant anxiety on the STAI-C. On the IES-R and BSI, the parents reported a higher level of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. Conclusions: Patients in the transition phase were less involved in educational forums compared to Long Term survivors, the majority of them seeking one-on-one educational help. We hypothesize that problems become more evident as more time passes from the end of treatment. Also, between the RCAD-S and the BSI in adult survivors, depression seems to be the primary construct rather than anxiety.
Disclaimer
This material on this page is ©2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology, all rights reserved. Licensing available upon request. For more information, please contact licensing@asco.org
Abstract Disclosures
2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
First Author: Timothy James Daeeun Ohlsen
2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
First Author: Cindy Im
2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
First Author: Renee Gilbert
2022 ASCO Annual Meeting
First Author: Rachel Tillery Webster