Psychosocial Functioning of Young Children Treated for Cancer: Findings From a Clinical Sample

Abstract

Objectives: Many pediatric cancers are diagnosed in early childhood, a time of significant growth and development that lays the foundations for overall adjustment and functioning. The objective of this article was to characterize the psychosocial functioning of young children with cancer. Method: Data from a sample of young children with cancer (N = 92) who completed a psychological evaluation that included the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children–second edition (BASC-2) parent report were abstracted from the medical record. Patients were primarily White (70.7%), male (54.3%), and 4.81 ± 0.89 years old at evaluation. Most were treated for brain tumors (64.1%). Results: Overall group means on each of the BASC-2 subscales were within normal limits, though significantly more patients than expected had elevated scores on the Internalizing and Behavioral Symptoms indexes. Patients who were on-treatment had higher mean overall Internalizing Problems scores, as well as greater Anxiety and Somatization scores, than those who were off-treatment (Wilks’s λ = 0.75, p