Emotional distress in parents of long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Abstract

The current study investigated the occurrence of emotional distress in parents of long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and identified factors associated with parent emotional distress symptoms. Parents of 127 long-term survivors of childhood ALL treated on a chemotherapy-only protocol at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital participated in the study. Parents completed standard ratings of emotional distress, caregiver strain, and child physical, emotional, and psychosocial functioning. Multivariable hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to examine associations between symptoms of caregiver strain, survivor functioning, and parent emotional distress. Covariates included parent education, survivor age, survivor sex, and time since childhood cancer diagnosis. On average, few parents reported significant symptoms of emotional distress. Clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression were reported by 7.1% and 3.1% of parents, respectively. Only 3.9% of parents endorsed significant symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Perceived caregiver strain was significantly associated with symptoms of parent anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress. Parent-report of child emotional functioning was significantly associated with symptoms of parent anxiety. Most parents of long-term survivors of ALL exhibit low levels of emotional distress in the context of rates observed in the general population. Perceived caregiver strain was significantly associated with parent emotional distress. Further research is required to examine specific sources of caregiver strain, as well as other risk and protective factors associated with parent emotional distress symptoms.