Note: this is a past research project that is now complete.

Background

This pilot study investigates the:

1. psychosocial wellbeing, health care usage and unmet needs of survivors of childhood cancer and their parents
2. utility of structured questionnaires in assessing psychosocial wellbeing of survivors of childhood cancer and their parents.

This primarily qualitative project design involves:

• individual interviews with parents (n=36) of a developmentally stratified, purposive sample of children who were aged 0-14 at diagnosis, and who were 3-5 years post treatment
• individual interviews with adolescents (n=21) from the purposive sample.

Prior to interviews, participants are asked to complete several quantitative measures of physical and emotional wellbeing. Their impressions of the appropriateness and acceptability of these instruments is then discussed during the interview

Participant selection criteria aim to include a range of cancer diagnoses, as well as a mix of male and female patients and families who live in metropolitan and regional locations.

Findings from this project will have implications for the refinement of long-term follow up services in paediatric cancer care.

Funding

Victorian Cancer Agency

Contact

Maria McCarthy 

maria.mccarthy@mcri.edu.au