SAGE Journals Online
Advertisement
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Advertisement

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
1043454208321119v1
25/5/265    most recent
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by af Sandeberg, M.
Right arrow Articles by Wettergren, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by af Sandeberg, M.
Right arrow Articles by Wettergren, L.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
Medline Plus Health Information
*Cancer
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Health-Related Quality of Life Relates to School Attendance in Children on Treatment for Cancer

Margareta af Sandeberg, MSc, RN

Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Astrid Lindgrens Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, margareta.afsandeberg{at}karolinska.se

Eva Johansson, PhD

Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital and Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Olle Björk, MD, PhD

Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Lena Wettergren, PhD

The aims of this study are to follow health-related quality of life (HRQOL), school attendance, and social interaction with friends in children with cancer and to explore potential relationships between HRQOL and school attendance. The study also describes self-reported reasons for not attending school and not meeting friends. During a 2-year period, all schoolchildren in Sweden starting treatment for cancer were invited to participate in the study. Participants (N = 101) were assessed 3 times during the first 5 months of treatment using 2 questionnaires: DISABKIDS Chronic Generic Module (DCGM-37) and a study-specific questionnaire. The results indicate a diminished HRQOL that remained stable over the study period, with girls rating worse HRQOL compared with boys. School attendance significantly increased over time, and approximately half of the children attended school 5 months after start of treatment. Self-reported HRQOL was positively correlated to days of school attendance. The results emphasize the importance of psychosocial care and nursing for children diagnosed with cancer, especially for girls. Research to further explore gender differences in HRQOL among children diagnosed for cancer is recommended.

Key Words: childhood cancer • health-related quality of life • school • friends • social interaction

This version was published on September 1, 2008

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, Vol. 25, No. 5, 265-274 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1043454208321119
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?




Advertisement