ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Changes in health behaviors and weight are common during the early phases of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, and may negatively impact treatment tolerability. Given that ALL is most prevalent in children, caregivers play an essential role in shaping health behaviors during treatment. This study presents a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with caregivers of youth in the early phases of ALL treatment. PROCEDURE: Caregivers (N = 17, 95% female) of a child (M age = 6.76 years) diagnosed with ALL and on treatment for less than 1 year (M = 8.7 months since diagnosis) completed a semi-structured interview about perceptions of their child's nutrition, physical activity, sedentary time, and weight during ALL treatment. Thematic analysis followed Braun and Clark's six-step framework (2006). Two coders established reliability (alpha = .88) and used a multi-pass coding system to extract themes. RESULTS: Caregivers' concerns around their child's weight during ALL treatment primarily centered around avoiding malnutrition. Weight gain during treatment was less of a concern and often viewed as protective. Caregivers reported encouraging their child to eat palatable, calorie-dense foods to mitigate risk for weight loss. Caregivers also expressed concern that children were less active and more sedentary due to treatment-related pain. Caregivers discussed health behaviors during treatment as being child-directed, rather than parent- or provider-directed. CONCLUSION: Future interventions may consider strategies to engage in joint parent-child decisions and caregiver education around risks of excessive weight gain during treatment. Interventions should include anticipatory guidance and aim to support parents in developing skills to support their child's health behaviors during treatment.
ABSTRACT
The trauma memory is a crucial feature of PTSD etiology and maintenance. Nonetheless, the nature of memories associated with childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD) requires explication. The present study, as part of a larger project on psychological outcomes of childbirth, utilized a multi-method approach to characterize childbirth memories in relation to CB-PTSD symptoms. We here assessed 413 women who completed self-report measures pertaining to CB-PTSD, postpartum depression, and childbirth memories. Additionally, a subset of 209 women provided written childbirth narratives, analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software. Women endorsing CB-PTSD symptoms on the PTSD-Checklist (PCL)-5 reported more incoherent childbirth memories with more emotional and sensory details, and more frequent involuntary recall and reliving of the memory. They also indicated the childbirth experience was more central to their identity. Written narratives in those with probable CB-PTSD were characterized by less (positive) affective processes, and more cognitive processes. We infer that childbirth memories in women who endorse symptoms of CB-PTSD in the early postpartum period resemble those described in the general PTSD literature. This suggests that childbirth may be experienced as traumatic and evoke a traumatic memory, implicated in symptom endorsement. Opportunities for therapeutic interventions modifying traumatic memories of childbirth in women at risk for CB-PTSD need to be investigated. Future research examining characteristics of traumatic childbirth memories is needed to advance our understanding of this overlooked postpartum condition.
