Psychometric properties of the Turkish Version General Self-Efficacy Scale in children and adolescents with cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale in children and adolescents aged 8-18 undergoing cancer treatment. METHODS: The sample of this methodological and descriptive study consisted of 128 children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 18 in the pediatric hematology-oncology wards and outpatient units of a university hospital. The study was implemented in a university hospital in Turkey between March 2023 and November 2023. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with children and adolescents attending the clinic or outpatient clinic. Data were collected using the information form and General Self-Efficacy Scale psychometric tests, Cronbach's alpha, Test-retest, validity and reliability analysis). Item-total score correlation was used. RESULTS: In the exploratory factor analysis, Kaiser Meyer Olkin was p 0.77, for which Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (p < 0.001). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a ten-item unidimensional structure with satisfactory representation. Item-total score correlations of the scale ranged between 0.32 and 0.52. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the model fit indices of this scale were obtained as follows: χ2/sd = 1.36, Goodness-of-Fit Index = 0.94, Comparative Fit Index = 0.92, Adjusted Goodness-of-Fit Index = 0.90, and Cronbach alpha value, indicating the internal consistency of the entire scale, was 0.76. CONCLUSIONS: The scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing self-efficacy in children and adolescents between the ages of eight and eighteen undergoing cancer treatment. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The study will provide precious information for experimental interventions and follow-up studies to assess the self-efficacy of children and adolescents with cancer.

Efficiency of the Technology-Based "HomeCARE-Family EmPow" for Children with Cancer and Their Parents: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: Home-based pediatric cancer care requires addressing both physical and psychosocial care needs for children and their parents Currently, there is a notable gap in intervention programs that evaluate technology-based psychosocial empowerment for children and parents in home-based pediatric cancer care. The study protocol was to assess the efficiency of a technology-based psychosocial empowerment intervention for home-based care for children with cancer and their parents. METHODS: This study was planned as a single-blinded parallel-group randomized controlled experimental design. The study was intended to include 64 children and parents in the research sample. The HomeCare-Family EmPow is a technology-based intervention based on the Psychological Empowerment Theory. This 4-week program, delivered via the website, consists of four modules for parents and two for children. The descriptive form, Self-Efficacy Scale- for children and adolescents with cancer, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Pediatric Cancer Coping Scale will be used in the data collection for children. The descriptive form, Self-Efficacy Scale, Problem-Solving Inventory, and Psychological Resilience Scale will be used for parents. Repeated measures analysis of variance and linear mixed-effects models will be applied for intragroup and intergroup comparisons. Outcome measures will be assessed before randomization, 1 week after the intervention, and 1 month after. RESULTS: The possible differences between the intervention and control groups will be evaluated after the implementation of the intervention. Our proposed hypotheses will report the findings. CONCLUSIONS: This research may provide a more comprehensive and evidence-based approach to pediatric cancer management at home-based pediatric cancer management by improving children's and parents' self-efficacy and coping by providing feasible, accessible, and innovative support. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The study outcomes are expected to enrich the understanding and management of the psychosocial well-being of children and their parents and empower them to cope with the treatment process more effectively during home-based care.

Realities and ideals: Experiences and needs of pediatric oncology nurses in communication processes with children and their families at the end-of-life period: A photovoice qualitative study.

Effective communication in end-of-life care for pediatric cancer patients is crucial. Yet, limited research focuses on the communication experiences of pediatric oncology nurses during this period. This study aims to investigate the communication experiences and needs of these nurses with children and their families during the end-of-life period. A qualitative study design with photo voice methodology was followed. The research was conducted with 16 pediatric oncology nurses working in the pediatric oncology wards of a university hospital between January and May 2023. Data were collected the "Characteristic Information Form", "Semi-Structured Interview Form", and photovoice methodology. Data were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Most of the nurses are at the undergraduate level, and their working experience in pediatric oncology wards ranges from 4 months to 17 years. Seven main themes emerged: Optimistic Communication-Interaction, Mindfulness, Active Coping, Behavioral Actions, Death Uncertainty Dilemma, Interpersonal and Environmental Factors, and Discrepancy between Ideals and Reality. The study sheds light on the importance of pediatric oncology nurses' ideals versus realities upstream approach in communicating with end-of-life children and their families, empowering pediatric oncology nurses on the journey to ideal end-of-life care.

The effect of technology-based interventions on child and parent outcomes in pediatric oncology: A systemic review of experimental evidence.

Objective: In recent years, childhood cancers have become an increasingly important health problem worldwide. Evidence shows that technology-based interventions in pediatric oncology are effective, feasible, and acceptable. However, studies in this field are limited. This systematic review was planned to examine the available evidence for the impact of technology-based interventions on children, adolescents with cancer patients, and their parents. Methods: In the systematic review, studies published between 2014 and 2023 from The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Plus with Full Text, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, ProQuest PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were identified using a search strategy. Six studies by the criteria were examined in terms of the technology-based intervention, the intervention's duration, the follow-up period, significant findings, and the theory used in the intervention. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools were used to evaluate the quality of the studies. In this systematic review, preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Results: A total of six studies met the inclusion criteria: five randomized controlled trials and one quasi-experimental study. In studies for children with cancer, it was determined that the children were between the ages of 6 and 18. It has been determined that technology-based interventions mostly consist of electronic health interventions such as web-based interventions, virtual reality, and digital and mobile health interventions such as messaging, phone contact, and smartphone applications. In the studies, the intervention period ranged from 1 to 1.5 â€‹h and 10 weeks, and the follow-up periods ranged from 12 weeks to 6 months. In studies for parents, it was observed that the intervention durations ranged from 8 to 12 weeks, and the follow-up periods varied between 3 and 12 months. In most of the studies, technology-based applications have positive effects on the physical and psychological (symptom management, anxiety, stress, coping, and quality of life) problems of children and adolescents. Technology-based interventions affect parents' knowledge levels and coping skills, psychosocial symptoms (anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and caregiver burden), resilience, social support, and self-efficacy. Conclusions: Technology-based interventions have been effective in improving physical and psychological symptoms in children with cancer, and parents' coping and psychosocial symptoms. These results should be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of studies, small sample sizes, and high heterogeneity. Comprehensive and high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to obtain the best evidence for the effectiveness of technology-based interventions in pediatric oncology. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration number was CRD42022297664.

Effect of resilience on social appearance anxiety in Turkish early adolescents.

PROBLEM: Preventive and supportive nursing care interventions of school nurses are very important in the early adolescence period, in which the significant physical and sexual changes occur. One ramification of these changes may be social appearance anxiety. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of resilience on social appearance anxiety among early adolescents. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional design. The study data were collected between February and June 2018. Study sample consists of 495 early adolescents studying at a state secondary school in Turkey. The data were gathered using personal information form, Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS), and Child and Young Resilience Measure (CYRM-12). The data were analyzed using the independent-sample t test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression methods. FINDINGS: In the present study, the mean age of early adolescents was found to be 11.90 (1.07) years. The mean scores of students in SAAS and CYRM-12 were 31.79 (13.30) and 52.96 (5.86), respectively. Social appearance anxiety scores of early adolescents were found to have a negative effect on the resilience levels (ß = -0.294). CONCLUSIONS: It can be suggested to teach adolescents, the interventions about the use of active coping skills aiming to decrease social appearance anxiety and to increase the resilience.

The effect of physical and psychosocial symptoms on caregiver burden of parents of children with cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of parent's characteristics, physical and psychosocial symptoms, and child-related factors on caregiver burden of parents of children with cancer. METHODS: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study that included 172 parents of children with cancer. This study was performed between February and July 2019 in three major paediatric haematology and oncology units located in the centre of Turkey. Data were collected by using the descriptive information form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Piper Fatigue Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Trait Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale. For data analysis, average and percentage calculations and multiple linear regression analyses were used. RESULTS: It was found that most of parents had poor sleep quality, moderate depression, fatigue, anxiety, high social support and moderate to severe caregiver burden. It was found that low education level, poor sleep quality, depression, trait anxiety, social support among the factors related to the parents, and the type of treatment and duration of the treatment from the factors related to the child had an effect on the caregiver burden. It was determined that the effective predictive factors explained 73.5% of the parents' caregiver burden. CONCLUSION: Caregiver burden is influenced by the parent- and child-related factors. Paediatric oncology nurses should plan interventions that support parents to cope with the caregiver burden during their children's cancer experience.