Psychological problems in boys with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with central nervous system (CNS) involvement; a descriptive study

Abstract

Background: Children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) experience some limitations and complications because of their illness and treatment process from the onset of the diagnosis. They are also prone to some psychological problems. In previous studies, cognitive impairments were considered more than emotional and behavioral dysfunction. Objectives: This study aims at determining the impact of AML on the emotional/behavioral problems and executive functions of children compared to their healthy peers. Methods: This case-control research was performed on 58 children with AML and central nervous system involvement with 58 healthy cases as a control group, who were between 7 and 12 years old in Mahak Hospital of Tehran, Iran. The sample size was estimated based on Morgan’s table. The child behavior checklist was used to identify emotional/behavioral problems. The Mann-Whitney test was applied for the data analysis. Results: The results showed that children with AML obtained lower scores in social function (P < 0.001), activities (P < 0.05), aggressive behavior (P < 0.001), and rule-breaking behavior (P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference in post-traumatic stress disorder, emotional problems, general competence, general problems, and anxious/depressed behaviors. Also, compared with the control group, they obtained higher scores in attention problems (P < 0.001), thought problems (P < 0.05), social problems (P < 0.001), somatic complaints (P < 0.001), and withdrawn/depressed behaviors (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The results indicate that some factors associated with illness (such as anemia, hormone dysregulation, and immune system deficit) and treatment (chemotherapy) caused some behavioral, emotional, and cognitive problems in these children.