A controlled study on the psychological characteristics of long-term survivors of childhood leukemia

Abstract

Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare psychosocial functioning of long-term survivors of childhood leukemia, children newly diagnosed as leukemia and age-matched healthy controls. Methods Nineteen long-term survivors of childhood leukemia(Group A), twenty children newly diagnosed as leukemia(Group B) and forty age-matched healthy controls (Group C)completed the questionnaires allowing assessment of symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, self-concept and personality by using the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders(SCARED), depression self rating scale for children(DSRSC), Piers-Harris children's self-concept scale(PHCSS)and Eysenck personality questionnaire(EPQ), respectively. Results Group A scored significantly higher on subscales of somatization/panic(6.11±4.36), generalized anxiety(5.72±4.56), social phobia(7.67±4.19) and the total scale(25.72±14.72) than Group C(the score was 3.82±1.69,2.84±1.92, 3.95±2.85 and 16.11±11.81, respectively, P＜0.05),the depression score was higher than that of the control group, but have no significant difference(P=0.069). The total score of self-concept of both group A (60.06±8.07)and group B(58.25±6.54) were significantly lower than that of the group C(64.90±7.30)(P＜0.05). Among which, group A scored significantly higher on subscales of anxiety and gregarization than group C(P＜0.05).And Group B scored significantly higher on subscales of behavior, intelligence and anxiety than group C(P＜0.05). The extraversion score of EPQ in group A was lower than that in group B and C,whereas the other three dimensions (P,N,L) of EPQ test showed no difference between the three groups. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that survivors of childhood leukemia are at risk for psychological difficulties. Key words: Pediatric psychology; Childhood leukemia; Anxiety; Depression; Self-concept