Psychosocial function of Dutch children with cancer and their caregivers during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Journal: Pediatric Blood & Cancer
Published:
Abstract

We compared psychosocial functioning of children with cancer and their caregivers in several phases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to before COVID-19. One or more questionnaires on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) or fatigue of children or distress of their caregivers was available from 1644 families. In children with cancer, HRQoL was stable throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Fatigue was slightly lower and sleep somewhat better during the pandemic than before. Caregiver distress was lower in the first pandemic phase, but increased to pre-COVID-19 levels in later phases, indicating that the length and consequences of the pandemic may be weighing on them.

Authors
Marloes Van Gorp, Heleen Maurice Stam, Layla Teunissen, Ellen Kilsdonk, Jennifer Van Dijk, Mirjam Sulkers, Wim J Tissing, Raphaële R Van Litsenburg, Martha Grootenhuis