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Childhood cancer is a traumatic experience for survivors and their families. The experience of this disease affects survivors' and families' quality of life, even years after it occurs. The purpose of the present study was to assess if the caregivers' posttraumatic stress symptoms mediated the associations between survivors' posttraumatic stress symptoms and caregivers' quality of life, in a sample of 46 dyads of caregivers and childhood cancer survivors. Survivors and caregivers completed the PCL-5, and caregivers completed the WHOQOL-bref. Results showed that survivors' and caregivers' posttraumatic stress symptoms scores and caregivers' quality of life were associated. The caregivers' posttraumatic stress symptoms mediated the relationship between survivors' posttraumatic stress symptoms and caregivers' quality of life. Knowing posttraumatic stress symptoms direct and indirect effects on caregivers' quality of life contributes to understand their experience and to develop intervention strategies with this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Beliefs regarding a disease refer to mental schemes people construct based on their direct or indirect experiences and that are related to their health behavior and self-regulation. Such beliefs help childhood cancer survivors understand their behavior in their follow-up treatment. This study's purpose was to examine the beliefs concerning childhood cancer among 27 survivors and 49 mothers, who completed sociodemographic surveys and questionnaires addressing disease perceptions via an online platform. Results reveal that mothers, more frequently than survivors, perceived childhood cancer as a chronic disease with cyclical symptoms, with more negative consequences and emotional representations. The mothers also reported having greater understanding regarding the disease and more strongly believed in personal and treatment control in comparison to survivors. The conclusion is that the fact that survivors more positively perceived childhood cancer may indicate they re-signified their experiences in an adaptive manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psicooncologia is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: evaluate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in childhood cancer survivors. Method: 65 survivors who answered to a clinical and sociodemographic questionnaire. PTSD symptoms screening scale (PTSDS-17) and PTSD checklist- Civilian version (PCLC). Results: within the sample, PTSD symptoms presence varied between 9,2% and 18,5%. Referred to symptomatology, 41% showed symptoms of revival, 16,9% of avoidance and 35,4% of increased excitability. The PTSD, sociodemographic and clinical indexes of the sample showed no significant correlations. Conclusion: Cancer traumatic experience and PTSD symptoms harms will be of negative repercussion on survivors life in the long run and may not be adequately evaluated by health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study assessed the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and their relation to illness perception in a sample of 65 young survivors of childhood cancer, mean age of 19 years (SD = 2.70) and who had completed treatment, on average, seven years ago. Method: The instruments used were: sociodemographic and clinical form, PTSD - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist - Civilian (PCL-C) and Illness Perception questionnaire - Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire for Healthy People (IPQ-RH). Results: The presence of PTSD symptoms ranged between 9.2% and 18.5% in this sample, and illness perception was correlated with the symptoms of this disorder. Emotional representations and Coherence (IPQ-RH) were predictive of Re-experience symptoms (β = .0370, p < .01; β = .261, p < .05, respectively). Emotional Representation subscale (IPQ-RH) was also predictive of Avoidance symptoms (β = .330, p < .001). Conclusion: It was concluded that illness perception should be examined to prevent PTSD symptoms in childhood cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psicooncologia is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this study was to assess longitudinally the illness perception in young adults with cancer. Participants were 50 patients who answered socio-demographic and clinical data questionnaires and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ). Longitudinal results revealed no significant changes in illness perceptions over one-year period. However, perceptions about cancer causality were significantly different in the same period. Women presented more negative cognitive perceptions about cancer than men in Time 1 (T1), but in T2 women revealed more negative emotional perceptions about the cancer. It was concluded that illness perception over one-year period remained relatively stable, but there are strong evidence for differences between men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Head and neck cancer refers to skin tumors that affect people of all ages. Treatments for this type of disease include surgeries, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Purpose: to examine self-image and quality of life of patients who had head and neck cancer . Participants: 28 patients between 30 - 73 years. Instruments: Instrument for Assessing Quality of Life of the WHO - and the brief version of Evaluation Scale with Body Satisfaction. Results: Total quality of life and their subscales was positively correlated with self-image, with the exception of social relations subscale. Self-image was a significant predictor of total quality of life and physical psychological and environment dimension. Conclusion: quality of life was closely linked with self-image in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at examining the presence of emotional indicators in the Draw-A- Person Test (DAP), employing the Koppitz Scoring System, in transplanted and healthy children comparing them according to their gender. Forty-seven transplanted and 88 healthy children aged 5-12 completed the DAP and answered an interview about it. The T-test showed that male transplanted children presented more emotional indicators than male healthy children. Logistic regression analysis (LRA) demonstrated that 'poor integration of parts' indicator and DAP in the left side of the paper are typical characteristics of transplanted children. It seems that transplanted children, especially boys, are at higher risk to present psychological problems. A systematic evaluation of those patients is necessary to minimize emotional consequences due to chronic disease and organ transplantation in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the present study is to examine the subjective well-being in adolescents who have undergone solid organ transplantation and its relationship to self-concept, self-esteem and variables related to disease and transplant. Twenty-six transplanted adolescents, who were in routine treatment after transplant in three public hospitals in Madrid, Spain, aged 13-17 years old, were part of the study. Measures to evaluate subjective well-being, self-concept and self-esteem and a questionnaire with socio demographic and clinical data were used. It was shown that positive affect was predicted by self-esteem, while self-concept and waiting list time were predictors of negative affect. These results support the idea that there is an important connection between clinical and psychological variables. Therefore, indicate the need to help transplanted adolescents to construct adequate levels of self-concept and selfesteem. Psychological interventions that may facilitate the adolescent have body and health problem conscience, helping them to accept their condition and limitations are necessary to minimize suffering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The experience of childhood cancer (CC) could be a traumatic event that produces long-term emotional responses such as posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in survivors. The relationship between both PTSS and PTG is not clear in CC survivors. Assessing challenges to core beliefs and rumination could give information regarding the different paths that lead to traumatic responses. Thus, this study aims to identify childhood cancer survivors' profiles from PTSS and PTG measures and to examine the pathways of relationships between PTSS and PTG, rumination, and challenge to core belief. Sixty-two CC survivors completed surveys on their childhood cancer experience, PTSS, PTG, challenge to core beliefs, and rumination. High PTG scores among childhood cancer survivors (Cluster 1), High PTSS scores among childhood cancer survivors (Cluster 2), and Childhood cancer survivors without changes (Cluster 3). Network analysis found that the challenge to core beliefs is the central point in the relationship between the variables, in a direct and positive relationship with PTG. We found an indirect path from challenge to core beliefs to PTSS, mediated by intrusive and deliberative ruminations. The combined findings suggested that there are different profiles related to trauma in CC survivors and the relationship between PTSS and PTG is mediated by the challenge to core beliefs and deliberative and intrusive rumination., Competing Interests: Conflict of InterestOn behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)