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Mental wellness and health-related quality of life of young adult survivors of childhood cancer in Singapore

Authors :
Francis Jia Yi Fong
Bryan Wei Zhi Wong
Jamie Si Pin Ong
Beron Wei Zhong Tan
Michaela Su-Fern Seng
Ah Moy Tan
Raymond Reinaldo Tanugroho
Source :
Annals, Academy of Medicine, Singapore, Vol 53, Iss 9, Pp 530-538 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2024.

Abstract

Introduction: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at risk of experiencing psychological distress years after completing cancer treatments. We aimed to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors affecting psychological distress and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among CCS in Singapore, and compare with their siblings without a history of or existing cancer as control. Method: We recruited 143 young adult CCS aged ≥18 years attending survivorship clinics at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore who were in remission for ≥5 years and treatment-free for ≥2 years, and 57 siblings. CCS and siblings were matched at a 1:1 ratio based on sociodemographic factors yielding 46 pairs for comparison. Among CCS participants, 79 (55.2%) were male, 86 (60.1%) had leukaemia, 29 (20.3%) had solid tumours, 15 (10.5%) had lymphoma and 13 (9.1%) had brain tumours. All participants completed the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) and Medical Outcomes Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36) questionnaires from August 2021 to July 2022. Results: There were 35 (24.5%) CCS who reported psychological distress in the BSI-18 Global Severity Index. Five (3.5%) and 31 (21.7%) CCS reported low HRQOL in the physical and mental composite scores, respectively. Mean scores between CCS and their siblings were not statistically significant across all domains of the BSI-18 and MOS SF-36. Associated risk factors for psychological distress and low HRQOL among CCS were history of psychiatric illness after cancer diagnosis and mood affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: CCS reported significant psychological distress and low HRQOL although they were not statistically different from their siblings. A holistic and risk factor-centric follow-up programme can aid early detection and mitigation of psychological late effects for CCS and their families.

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
29724066
Volume :
53
Issue :
9
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Annals, Academy of Medicine, Singapore
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.47b392d3e34df4882431f5205328cf
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.202445