Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Parents of Pediatric Cancer Patients

Abstract

The changes and general alarm of the current COVID-19 pandemic have amplified the sense of precariousness and vulnerability for family members who, in addition to the emotional trauma of the cancer diagnosis, add the distress and fear of the risks associated with infection. The primary objectives of the present study were to investigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the parents of pediatric cancer patients, and the level of stress, anxiety, and the child’s quality of life perceived by the parents during the COVID-19 epidemic. The parents of 45 consecutive children with solid and hematological tumors were enrolled. Four questionnaires (Impact of Event Scale-Revised – IES-R; Perceived Stress Scale – PSS; Spielberger State – Trait Anxiety Inventory – STAI-Y; Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory – PedsQL) were administered to the parents at the beginning of the pandemic lockdown. A 75% of parents exhibited remarkable levels of anxiety, with 60 subjects in state scale and 45 subjects in trait scale having scores that reached and exceeded the STAI-Y cut off. The bivariate matrix of correlation found a significant positive correlation between the IES-R and PSS scores (r = 0.55, P < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between the PSS and PedsQL (emotional needs) scale (P < 0.001) and a negative correlation between IES-R and STAI-Y (P < 0.001). The results confirm that parents of pediatric cancer patients have a high psychological risk for post-traumatic symptoms, high stress levels, and the presence of clinically significant levels of anxiety.

Early Evidence of the Interplay between Separation Anxiety Symptoms and COVID-19-Related Worries in a Group of Children Diagnosed with Cancer and Their Mothers

“…They also reported more mother-child time in a working day. These results are in line with the hypothesis and the literature available to date: chronically ill children's parents indicated greater concerns about contagion and worse psychological wellbeing when compared to healthy children's parents [14,15]; pediatric cancer patients' mothers reported clinical levels of anxiety during the pandemic [12]. Mothers must provide continuous assistance and might experience traumatic events completely on their own, also because the hospital allows only one parent to be present during the outpatients' visits and the hospitalizations as prevention measures.…”

“…This pattern is further aggravated by COVID-19, which works as a distressing experience [8,9]. Research on pediatric cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the risk of worse outcomes from infection because of immunosuppression [10], less treatment adherence [11], and parents' increased stress and anxiety [10,12]. Among the main psychological issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic in pediatric patients, particularly concerning are separation anxiety symptoms and COVID-19-related worries [13].…”

Integration of art and technology in personalized radiation oncology care: Experiences, evidence, and perspectives

“…After the restrictions of COVID-19, considering the high psychopathological risk of the general population ( 82 ), we desired to pay attention to the physical and psychological impact of isolation and stress on cancer patients ( 83 – 85 ). Although the data are still few and partial, the oncology population, and their caregivers ( 86 ), are at risk of severe anxiety, stress, and depression ( 66 , 67 , 87 ) and long-term sequelae.…”

Caregiver's perspective on psychosocial issues of paediatric cancer patients during COVID 19 pandemic lockdown

“…In addition to the uncertainty about the transmissibility of COVID‐19, worrying about treatment continuation was found to be more stressful for cancer patients and caregivers 1 . Caregivers experienced anxiety related to children contracting COVID‐19 and hospitals were no longer felt to be a safer place 2 . TheCOVID‐19 pandemic has caused greater impact on the mental health of paediatric patients, requiring professional mental health support 3,4 .…”

“… 1 Caregivers experienced anxiety related to children contracting COVID‐19 and hospitals were no longer felt to be a safer place. 2 TheCOVID‐19 pandemic has caused greater impact on the mental health of paediatric patients, requiring professional mental health support. 3 , 4 Although studies are being published around the pandemic situation in oncology with reference to psychosocial concerns, across different countries, there is scarce resources on psychosocial impact of COVID‐19 pandemic in low‐middle income countries, especially from India.…”