Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2200 Children's Way, Nashville, TN, 8161 DOT37232-9760, USA.
Divisions of Pediatric Critical Care and Pediatric Palliative Care, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
J Relig Health. 2021 Feb;60(1):389-405. doi: 10.1007/s10943-020-01014-7.
Development, whether motor, language, social, or spiritual, is the functional expression of complex brain processes throughout one's life span, the foundations of which are laid in childhood. The effects of cancer, chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical procedures on early brain development have been measured using neuroimaging and developmental assessment tools. We propose that spiritual development may be substantially affected in children with oncological diseases that impact underlying brain processes. By drawing connections between science, spirituality, and medicine, we can better address the spiritual needs of children as they cope with oncological diseases, by mitigating emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms and improving outcomes.
发展，无论是运动、语言、社交还是精神方面的，都是一个人整个生命周期中复杂大脑过程的功能表现，而这些过程的基础是在儿童时期奠定的。癌症、化疗、放疗和手术过程对早期大脑发育的影响已经通过神经影像学和发育评估工具进行了测量。我们提出，影响大脑潜在发育过程的肿瘤性疾病可能会严重影响儿童的精神发育。通过在科学、精神和医学之间建立联系，我们可以更好地满足患有肿瘤性疾病儿童的精神需求，减轻他们的情绪、认知和身体症状，改善治疗效果。
