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Mental health among young adult survivors of childhood cancer and their siblings including posttraumatic growth

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Abstract

Background

Few studies have addressed the mental health status of young adult childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) and their siblings (SIBs). This paper focuses on depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among Japanese CCSs and their SIBs.

Methods

Adolescent and young adult CCSs (n = 185), in remission for more than 1 year, their SIBs (n = 72), and general controls (CONTs) (n = 1,000) completed anonymous self-report questionnaires for depression, anxiety, PTSS, and PTG. The physicians in charge also completed an anonymous disease/treatment data sheet.

Results

CCSs were approximately 8 years old at diagnosis and approximately 23 years old at the time of the survey. Their diagnoses included leukemia (57%), lymphoma (12%), and solid tumors (30%). Thirty-eight percent underwent surgery and 25% received stem cell transplantation. No significant differences were found between CCSs and CONTs in terms of depression and anxiety. CCSs had significantly more PTSS and had remarkably greater PTG compared to CONTs. Although no significant differences were found between SIBs and CONTs regarding depression, anxiety, or PTSS, female SIBs exhibited greater PTG compared to female CONTs.

Conclusion

To empower CCSs, they should be evaluated periodically regarding PTSS and PTG and should be provided appropriate care and feedback. The fact that the mental health status of young adult SIBs was similar to CONTs at 15 years after their siblings’ diagnoses may help reassure parents who worry about mental health among the siblings of an affected child during and after his/her treatment.

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Acknowledgements

[Grants-in-aid] Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare: Study of quality of life and prognosis in childhood cancer survivors and establishment of the long-term follow-up system (PI: Yasushi Ishida); Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare: Study to establish the standard treatment for childhood hematological malignancies (PI: Keizo Horibe).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Kiyoko Kamibeppu & Iori Sato

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime University, Toon, Japan

    Misato Honda

  3. Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Shuichi Ozono & Hiroko Inada

  4. Departments of Epidemiology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan

    Naoko Sakamoto

  5. Department of Hemato-oncology, Kagawa Children’s Hospital, Kagawa, Japan

    Tsuyako Iwai

  6. Institute for Clinical Research, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan

    Jun Okamura

  7. Department of Pediatrics, Niigata Cancer Center Hospital, Niigata, Japan

    Keiko Asami

  8. Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya Medical Center, Aichi, Japan

    Naoko Maeda

  9. Departments of Health Policy, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan

    Naoko Kakee

  10. Clinical Research Center, Nagoya Medical Center, Aichi, Japan

    Keizo Horibe

  11. Department of Pediatrics, St. Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Yasushi Ishida

Authors
  1. Kiyoko Kamibeppu
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  2. Iori Sato
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  3. Misato Honda
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  6. Tsuyako Iwai
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  7. Jun Okamura
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  8. Keiko Asami
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  9. Naoko Maeda
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  10. Hiroko Inada
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  11. Naoko Kakee
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  12. Keizo Horibe
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  13. Yasushi Ishida
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kiyoko Kamibeppu.

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Kamibeppu, K., Sato, I., Honda, M. et al. Mental health among young adult survivors of childhood cancer and their siblings including posttraumatic growth. J Cancer Surviv 4, 303–312 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-010-0124-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-010-0124-z

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