Parental expectations at the time of childhood cancer diagnosis: Development and pilot testing of a structured assessment tool in India.

IF 1.9 4区医学 Q4 PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL

Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Pub Date : 2026-09-26 DOI:10.1080/07347332.2026.2737248

Jithin T K, Garima Nirmal, K G Gopakumar, Nilaa M P, Jisha Abraham, Maya Padmanabhan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer develop expectations about treatment, support, and financial challenges, influencing coping and communication. Validated tools to measure these expectations in low- and middle-income settings are limited.

Methods: This cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in a pediatric oncology center in India. A 20-item, expert-validated questionnaire covering five domains-Treatment and Prognosis, Facility Support, Financial Support, Psychosocial Support, and Spiritual Support-was administered to 30 parents of children under 14 years at diagnosis. Items were rated on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Unlikely, 2 = Less likely, 3 = Likely, 4 = More likely), with higher mean scores indicating more positive expectations. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests were used for analysis.

Results: Overall expectations were high, with a mean score of 3.55 ± 0.21 on a 1-4 scale, indicating responses clustered between "Likely" and "More likely." Facility Support (3.73 ± 0.27) and Treatment and Prognosis (3.64 ± 0.21) scored highest; Financial Support scored lowest (3.16 ± 0.40). Higher education (p = 0.022) and socioeconomic class (p < 0.05) predicted higher expectations. Younger child age correlated with psychosocial expectations (ρ = -0.68, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The tool demonstrated good feasibility and contextual relevance in this pilot study and may guide targeted psychosocial and financial support.

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来源期刊

Journal of Psychosocial Oncology PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL-

CiteScore

4.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Here is your single source of integrated information on providing the best psychosocial care possible from the knowledge available from many disciplines.The Journal of Psychosocial Oncology is an essential source for up-to-date clinical and research material geared toward health professionals who provide psychosocial services to cancer patients, their families, and their caregivers. The journal—the first interdisciplinary resource of its kind—is in its third decade of examining exploratory and hypothesis testing and presenting program evaluation research on critical areas, including: the stigma of cancer; employment and personal problems facing cancer patients; patient education.