Abstract
This study describes the behavioral and emotional adjustment of 77 children and adolescents 3 months post-treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), compared to 52 age and sex-matched healthy peers. Parents, teachers, and self-report ratings on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2) were utilized to measure psychological function. While overall mean scores were in the average range for both groups, parents and teachers rated patients higher on behavior symptoms, internalizing problems and adaptive skill difficulties. No significant differences between groups were observed on self-report, and inter-rater correlations were low to moderate. For the ALL group, maternal university completion was associated with elevations on parent report of behavioral problems, while no other factors predicted either parent or teacher report on other scales. Findings indicate that a subset of patients will require specialist psychosocial support to optimise their adjustment following treatment completion.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the participants and their families for generously giving up their time to participate in this study. The ALLaboard study was supported by The Monash Children's Foundation, The Miranda Foundation, The Leukaemia Research Fund, The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation, and the Victorian Government Department of Human Services and Operational Infrastructure support Program.
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Cinzia R. De Luca, Melissa Mulraney, Vicki Anderson, Peter Downie, Winn Ma, and Maria C. McCarthy disclose no conflict of interest.
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The study received ethics approval from The RCH (#33094) and MCH (#13264) Human Research Ethics Committees and performed in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.
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De Luca, C.R., Mulraney, M., Anderson, V. et al. Behavioral and Emotional Functioning of Children and Adolescents at the End of Treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Compared to Healthy Peers. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 29, 421–431 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-021-09840-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-021-09840-x