Characteristics of Illness Perception and Psychosocial Adaptation of Survivors of Childhood Cancer

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Behavior Therapy Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 23 - 33
• Main Authors: TAKEI, Yuko, OGATA, Akiko, OZAWA, Miwa, MORITAKE, Hiroshi, HIRAI, Kei, MANABE, Atsushi, SUZUKI, Shin-ichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japanese Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies( JABCT ) 31.01.2013
• Subjects: adolescent childhood cancer survivors; perceived illness experience; psychosocial adaptation
• ISSN: 0910-6529; 2424-2594
• DOI: 10.24468/jjbt.39.1_23

The purpose of the present study was to examine the correlation between perceived illness experiences and psychosocial adaptation in adolescent childhood cancer survivors. The participants, 21 youth (7 boys, 14 girls; average age 15.8 years, SD 2.1) who were cancer patients attending pediatric outpatient clinics, were asked to participate in a semi-structured interview and complete the Pediatric Quality of Life (QOL) Inventory. The results indicated that psychosocial daily difficulties influenced their illness perception. Although the results were not statistically significant, positive perception might correlate positively with QOL, and negative perception or a despairing attitude might correlate negatively with QOL. Future research should investigate those influences in a quantitative study.