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Easing Psychological Distress in Pediatric Cancer

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Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology

Part of the book series: Pediatric Oncology ((PEDIATRICO))

Abstract

Childhood cancer is a life-threatening and changing group of diseases that can cause major psychological distress not only for the child but also for the entire family. The cancer experience can be particularly stressful during critical times such as at diagnosis and relapse or for those who have a poor prognosis and reach end of life while receiving treatment. The primary aim of this chapter is to describe how healthcare providers (HCPs) can help youth with cancer and their families to reduce psychological distress and improve coping and quality of life throughout the cancer trajectory. To that aim, several principles are integrated in this chapter: maximizing quality of life and reducing distress [principles of palliative care], considering the youth and his/her family as the focus of and partner in comprehensive care [child-family-centered care], and preventive and developmental models of psychological screening, assessment, and intervention. In addition to general strategies for psychological screening and assessment of distress, and intervention to enhance coping, we provide specific recommendations organized by three unique developmental periods: under 4 years, 4–11 years, and 12–19 years. Our ultimate goal is to help reduce psychological distress in children and adolescent with cancer and their families to improve their coping strategies and quality of life at every step of the cancer journey.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the organizations listed in this chapter for granting us permission for publishing their QRs, Dr. Anne Kazak for her inspiration and support of our work, and Kelly Hancock and Alexandra Neville for their assistance in the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hematology/Oncology Division and Psychology Department, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, Canada

    Maru E. Barrera M.A., Ph.D., C.Psych. & Kim S. Daniel M.Ed., Ph.D.

  2. Paediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, Canada

    Adam Rapoport M.D., F.R.C.P.C., M.H.Sc.

Authors
  1. Maru E. Barrera M.A., Ph.D., C.Psych.
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  2. Adam Rapoport M.D., F.R.C.P.C., M.H.Sc.
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  3. Kim S. Daniel M.Ed., Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maru E. Barrera M.A., Ph.D., C.Psych. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychosocial Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Joanne Wolfe

  2. School of Social Work, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA

    Barbara L. Jones

  3. Department of Caring Sciences, Palliative Research Centre, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ulrika Kreicbergs

  4. Hospital san Gerardo, University of Milano, Monza, Italy

    Momcilo Jankovic

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Barrera, M.E., Rapoport, A., Daniel, K.S. (2018). Easing Psychological Distress in Pediatric Cancer. In: Wolfe, J., Jones, B., Kreicbergs, U., Jankovic, M. (eds) Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology. Pediatric Oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61391-8_8

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