This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1043454208315546v1 25/2/86    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Whitsett, S. F. Articles by Friedman, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Whitsett, S. F. Articles by Friedman, D. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Cancer Cancer Chemotherapy Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Chemotherapy-Related Fatigue in Childhood Cancer: Correlates, Consequences, and Coping Strategies

Department of Pediatrics (MCHK-PED), Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, stan.whitsett{at}us.army.mil

Maria Gudmundsdottir, PhD, RN

Department of Family Health Care Nursing, University of California, San Francisco

Betty Davies, PhD, RN, FAAN

Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program, Department of Family Health Care Nursing, University of California, San Francisco

Patricia McCarthy, MSc A, RN

Pediatric Oncology Department, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Debra Friedman, MD

Survivorship Program of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

The aim of this research is to examine the experience and impact of chemotherapy-related fatigue in recently diagnosed pediatric oncology patients. A repeated-measures, within-subjects, mixed (quantitative plus qualitative) design was used to prospectively assess fatigue during early chemotherapy cycles and to compare fatigue to depressive symptoms. Parental interviews collected concurrently were analyzed for descriptions of the child's fatigue and mood states and for strategies to cope with fatigue. Results indicated a significant correlation between fatigue and depression, but qualitative analyses suggested that the 2 phenomena may be unique and distinguishable. Qualitative analyses of parent interviews also identified specific strategies that were frequently used in response to high levels of fatigue. The findings illustrate the significant impact of chemotherapy-related fatigue in children being treated for cancer. The study also provides guidance for the assessment of fatigue and related symptoms and identifies specific strategies for coping with fatigue.

Key Words: Key words: fatigue • pediatric oncology • depression • symptoms • mixed methodology

This version was published on April 1, 2008

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, Vol. 25, No. 2, 86-96 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1043454208315546


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?