A parent–child conjoint psychological intervention for children in maintenance phase of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Feasibility and preliminary outcomes from a randomized control pilot trial

Abstract

ObjectiveTo develop and test a brief Composite Intervention Module for Pre-adolescents with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (CIMPALL). DesignSingle-center randomized controlled design. SettingA tertiary care center of national importance ParticipantsA total of 36 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the maintenance phase of the treatment. InterventionA five-session (540 min) brief, multidomain, audiovisually aided, therapist-facilitated conjoint intervention module for children with cancer and their parents. Main outcome measuresStandardized psychological tools for children including CBCL, CPSS (Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Scale), PedsQol (Pediatric Quality of Life), and NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) neuropsychological battery and parents including PTSD CC (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Civilian Checklist), CHIP (Coping Health Inventory for Parents), CBS (Caregiver Burden Scale), and SRQ (Self-Reporting Questionnaire). ResultsA total of 36 patients were randomized to an experimental or a control group. Over 80% agreement was observed on indices of expert evaluation; 100% of participants found the sessions to be helpful, useful, appropriate in terms of time, duration, and place, and interventionist. The participation rate in the sessions was 94% and the study flow was smooth; 97.3% eligible candidates agreed to participate. Furthermore, 100% agreement on performance of activities was observed and the attrition rate was 5.26%. ConclusionThis pilot study presents the CIMPALL, which to the best of our knowledge is the first of its kind in India. The data suggest that the CIMPALL intervention is feasibly delivered by a clinical psychologist and that the CIMPALL intervention has an impact on important psychosocial variables for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and their parents.