Sociocultural considerations in the HRQOL outcomes of school-age Latino survivors of childhood cancer.

Abstract

Purpose: Young Latino survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL) are at higher risk for adverse psychosocial health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, past research investigating within-group variation is limited. The current study compared HRQOL among sub-groups of Latino pediatric ALL/LL survivors based on dominant language spoken at home.

Participants: Young Latino ALL/LL survivors and their parent (Spanish-speaking n = 50; English-Speaking n = 56).

Methods: Language groups were compared on child self-reports and parent proxies from the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL).

Findings: Children from predominantly Spanish-speaking families reported higher social functioning F(1, 105) = [15.21], p < 0.001); however, this difference was not present for older children (ages ≥ 9 years).

Conclusion: Younger Latino survivors from predominantly Spanish-speaking families may experience better social functioning, warranting further investigation on protective factors of traditional Latino culture for social functioning in Latino CCS.