School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, 4/F, William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2013 Apr;17(2):214-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2012.07.010. Epub 2012 Aug 13.
Notwithstanding the advances in medical treatment, childhood cancer survivors are at risk of adverse physical, psychological and social effects of the cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of cancer and its treatments on the physical, psychological and social well-being of Hong Kong Chinese childhood cancer survivors.
A total of 137 childhood cancer survivors (aged 9-16 years), who had their medical follow-up in an oncology out-patient clinic were invited to participate in the study. Participants were asked to respond to the standardized measures of depressive symptoms and self-esteem. Additionally, 15 participants from the group were selected for a semi-structured interview.
The results revealed that more than half of the participants presented depressive symptoms. Results also found that the mean depressive symptom scores for childhood cancer survivors were statistically significant higher than those of school children without cancer (p = 0.01), while the mean self-esteem scores for the survivors were statistically significant lower (p < 0.01). Additionally, qualitative interviews indicated that cancer and its treatments have great impact on the daily life of childhood cancer survivors.
The study reveals that cancer and its treatments have a great impact on the physical, psychological and social well-being of survivors. It is essential for healthcare professionals to develop appropriate interventions with the aim of promoting physical, psychological and social well-being for these children. Most importantly, it is crucial to help them develop a positive view of the impact that the cancer experience has upon their lives.
尽管医学治疗取得了进步，但儿童癌症幸存者仍面临癌症治疗带来的身体、心理和社会负面影响的风险。本研究旨在探讨癌症及其治疗对香港华人儿童癌症幸存者身体、心理和社会健康的影响。
共邀请了 137 名在肿瘤科门诊接受医疗随访的儿童癌症幸存者（9-16 岁）参加研究。参与者被要求回答抑郁症状和自尊的标准化量表。此外，从该组中选择了 15 名参与者进行半结构化访谈。
结果显示，超过一半的参与者存在抑郁症状。研究结果还发现，儿童癌症幸存者的平均抑郁症状得分明显高于没有癌症的学龄儿童（p = 0.01），而幸存者的平均自尊得分明显较低（p < 0.01）。此外，定性访谈表明，癌症及其治疗对儿童癌症幸存者的日常生活有很大影响。
该研究表明，癌症及其治疗对幸存者的身体、心理和社会健康有重大影响。医疗保健专业人员制定适当的干预措施，以促进这些儿童的身体、心理和社会健康，这一点至关重要。最重要的是，帮助他们对癌症经历对他们生活的影响形成积极的看法至关重要。
