Trentacosta Christopher J, Harper Felicity W K, Albrecht Terrance L, Taub Jeffrey W, Phipps Sean, Penner Louis A
*Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI;†Population Studies and Disparities Research Program, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI;Departments of ‡Oncology, and§Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI;‖Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI;¶Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN.
J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2016 Nov/Dec;37(9):753-761. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000327.
Although distress during treatment procedures and longer-term treatment-related anxiety are among the most common cancer-related stressors for children and their families, they are not invariant. This study examined whether individual differences in temperament and personality play a role in how children respond to treatment procedures. Attention control, a facet of the effortful control dimension of temperament, and the personality attribute ego-resilience were hypothesized to predict lower levels of distress during procedures. Moreover, ego-resilience and distress during procedures were hypothesized to account for indirect associations between attention control and longer-term treatment-related anxiety. Child gender was examined as a potential moderator of these relationships.
Participants were 147 children undergoing treatment for pediatric cancer and their parents. At baseline, parents reported on children's effortful control and ego-resilience. Multiple raters assessed children's distress during multiple cancer-related procedures. Treatment-related anxiety was measured 3 and 9 months after the last assessed treatment procedure.
Attention control was linked to ego-resilience and lower levels of distress, and these variables, in turn, accounted for indirect associations between attention control and treatment-related anxiety. Associations involving ego-resilience were stronger for boys than girls.
Attention control plays an important role in children's immediate and longer-term responses to cancer-related medical procedures. Medical staff should consider individual differences in child temperament and personality when considering the nature and extent of support to provide to pediatric cancer patients and their families.
尽管治疗过程中的痛苦以及与治疗相关的长期焦虑是儿童及其家庭最常见的癌症相关应激源，但它们并非一成不变。本研究探讨了气质和性格的个体差异在儿童对治疗过程的反应中是否起作用。注意力控制是气质的努力控制维度的一个方面，人格特质自我恢复力被假设为可以预测治疗过程中较低水平的痛苦。此外，自我恢复力和治疗过程中的痛苦被假设为可以解释注意力控制与与治疗相关的长期焦虑之间的间接关联。研究考察了儿童性别作为这些关系的潜在调节因素。
参与者为147名正在接受儿科癌症治疗的儿童及其父母。在基线时，父母报告了孩子的努力控制和自我恢复力。多名评估者评估了儿童在多个与癌症相关的治疗过程中的痛苦程度。在最后一次评估的治疗过程后3个月和9个月测量与治疗相关的焦虑。
注意力控制与自我恢复力以及较低水平的痛苦有关，反过来，这些变量解释了注意力控制与与治疗相关的焦虑之间的间接关联。涉及自我恢复力的关联对男孩的影响比对女孩的影响更强。
注意力控制在儿童对与癌症相关的医疗程序的即时和长期反应中起着重要作用。在考虑为儿科癌症患者及其家庭提供支持的性质和程度时，医护人员应考虑儿童气质和性格的个体差异。
