RESUMO
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.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Cuidadores , Neoplasias , Pandemias , Cuidadores/psicologia , Criança , Fadiga , Humanos , Neoplasias/epidemiologia , Neoplasias/psicologia , Países Baixos , Angústia Psicológica , Qualidade de VidaRESUMO
We studied the psychosocial impact of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on Dutch children with cancer in outpatient care and their caregivers (n = 799) using regular monitoring and screening outcomes. No differences were observed between the pre-COVID-19 and early-COVID-19 periods in health-related quality of life and fatigue of children. Fewer caregivers were distressed during the COVID-19 period than pre-COVID-19. In conclusion, the additional stress of COVID-19 did not deteriorate psychosocial functioning of children with cancer and their caregivers. Results may be explained by alleviating daily life changes, experience in coping with medical traumatic stress, and appropriate care and support.
