Effect of Attending a Virtual Oncology Camp on Childhood Cancer Patient's Pyshcosocial Functioning and Parental Stress - A Pilot Study

Description

Objectives/purpose: The current study examined whether attending a 1-month virtual oncology camp (VOC)
improved resilience and hope in childhood cancer patients and parental/caregiver stress.
Methods:Childhood cancer patients/survivors and their parent/caregivers enrolled for VOC,
participated in an online anonymous survey: before, after and 3-months after VOC. The
survey included the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM) and the Snyder’s
Children’s Hope Scale (CHS) for the childhood cancer patients/survivors and the
Pediatric Inventory for Parents (PIP) for parent/caregivers.
Results:CYRM scores increased from T1 to T2 (d=0.86). Compared to T1, at T2 CHS scores also
increased (d=1.33). Both CHS and CYRM scores remained higher at T3 compared with
T1 (d=1.34; d=0.86). There were no changes in PIP scores between any time points.
Conclusion and significance: Our study demonstrated that participation in a VOC improved children’s resilience and
hope but did not change parental stress. Highlighting the clinical significance of these
VOCs and the impacts they have on childhood cancer patients/survivors.

Author Keywords: cancer, children, hope, parental stress, resilience, virtual oncology camp