Review of Family-Based Psychosocial Interventions for Childhood Cancer
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report the findings of a systematic review of family-based psychosocial interventions with pediatric oncology populations. METHODS: A number of intervention studies documenting psychosocial interventions for childhood cancer populations, that incorporated multiple family members, were examined. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were identified that met the criteria for inclusion and provided the data necessary for synthesizing the results. Findings illustrate that multiple family members are integrated into interventions for childhood cancer in a number of ways. Considerable variation was observed regarding the family member combinations targeted and the intervention modalities employed. A minority of interventions met the criteria for empirically validated treatments; however, evidence of beneficial outcomes was observed across the majority of interventions reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of family-based psychosocial interventions in pediatric oncology. Recommendations for conducting future intervention studies are provided including the integration of qualitative methods in evaluations of family-based interventions.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Many interventions have not been evaluated with rigorous research designs in pediatric oncology.
“However, few interventions have implemented evidence-based treatments [31,32] and many have not been evaluated with rigorous research designs in pediatric oncology [7,24,25,27].”
From Providing psychological support to parents of childhood cancer survivors: ‘cascade’ intervention trial results and lessons for the future (2021) · cites this paper as [24]
Psychological interventions can be effective for parents of children with cancer and other serious illnesses, yielding small-moderate improvements in QOL, anxiety, and other outcomes.
“Psychological interventions can be effective for parents of children with cancer and other serious illnesses [22,23], yielding small–moderate improvements in QOL, anxiety, and other outcomes [23,24,25,26,27,28,29].”
From Providing psychological support to parents of childhood cancer survivors: ‘cascade’ intervention trial results and lessons for the future (2021) · cites this paper as [24]
Skills-based interventions can be effective in parents of children with cancer, yielding medium-large effects.
“Skills-based interventions can be effective in parents of children with cancer, yielding medium-large effects [29].”
Cites
Empirically supported psychological interventions: Controversies and evidence
Chambless, D. L., & Ollendick, T. H. (2001) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.685 · Cited by 2,097 · see citing works
Update on empirically validated therapies, II: (619622010-001)
Chambless, D. L., Baker, M. J., Baucom, D. H., Beutler, L. E., Calhoun, K. S., Crits-Christoph, P., Daiuto, A., DeRubeis, R., Detweiler, J., Haaga, D. A. F., et al. (1997) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e619622010-001 · Cited by 1,488 · see citing works
Kazak, A. E. (2006) · Families Systems & Health · doi:10.1037/1091-7527.24.4.381 · Cited by 407 · see citing works
Butler, R. W., & Copeland, D. R. (2002) · Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society · doi:10.1017/s1355617702811110 · Cited by 304 · see citing works
Kazak, A. E., Alderfer, M. A., Streisand, R., Simms, S., Rourke, M. T., Barakat, L. P., Gallagher, P., & Cnaan, A. (2004) · Journal of Family Psychology · doi:10.1037/0893-3200.18.3.493 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
Empirically supported treatments in pediatric psychology: pediatric obesity
Jelalian, E. (1999) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/24.3.223 · Cited by 289 · see citing works
Uman, L. S., Chambers, C. T., McGrath, P. J., & Kisely, S. R. (2008) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsn031 · Cited by 268 · see citing works
Empirically supported treatments in pediatric psychology: procedure- related pain
Powers, S. W. (1999) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/24.2.131 · Cited by 255 · see citing works
Eiser, C. (2000) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/25.6.449 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
Windich-Biermeier, A., Sjoberg, I., Dale, J. C., Eshelman, D., & Guzzetta, C. E. (2007) · Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing · doi:10.1177/1043454206296018 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Families coping with childhood chronic illness: A research review.
Cohen, M. S. (1999) · Families Systems & Health · doi:10.1037/h0089879 · Cited by 230 · see citing works
Kazak, A. E., Simms, S., Alderfer, M. A., Rourke, M. T., Crump, T., McClure, K. S., Jones, P., Rodriguez, A. M., Boeving, A., Hwang, W., et al. (2005) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsi051 · Cited by 229 · see citing works
Behavioral intervention to reduce child and parent distress during venipuncture.
Manne, S. L., Redd, W. H., Jacobsen, P. B., Gorfinkle, K., Schorr, O., & Rapkin, B. (1990) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-006x.58.5.565 · Cited by 215 · see citing works
KAZAK, A. E., SIMMS, S., BARAKAT, L., HOBBIE, W., FOLEY, B., GOLOMB, V., & BEST, M. (1999) · Family Process · doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1999.00176.x · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Evidence-Based Interventions for Survivors of Childhood Cancer and Their Families
Kazak, A. E. (2004) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsi013 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Family coping with pediatric leukemia: Ten years after treatment
Kupst, M. J., Natta, M. B., Richardson, C. C., Schulman, J. L., Lavigne, J. V., & Das, L. (1995) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/20.5.601 · Cited by 200 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Numerous studies have highlighted the family-level impact of the illness, documenting individual psychosocial effects for all family members (Chia-Chen, Chen, Wang, Wu, & Yeh, 2003; Kupst et al. 1995).”
BackgroundBehavioral management of children's distress during painful medical procedures
Jay, S. M., Elliott, C. H., Ozolins, M., Olson, R. A., & Pruitt, S. D. (1985) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(85)90098-1 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
The Impact of Social Skills Training on the Adjustment of Children with Newly Diagnosed Cancer
Varni, J. W., Katz, E. R., Colegrove, R., & Dolgin, M. J. (1993) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/18.6.751 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Behavioral intervention to reduce child and parent distress during venipuncture.
Manne, S. L., Redd, W. H., Jacobsen, P. B., et al. (1990) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.58.5.565 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Pai, A. L. H., Drotar, D., Zebracki, K., Moore, M. E., & Youngstrom, E. A. (2006) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsj109 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Comprehensive handbook of childhood cancer and sickle cell disease : a biopsychosocial approach
Brown, R. T. (2006) · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Williams, P. D., Williams, A. R., Graff, J. C., Hanson, S., Stanton, A., Hafeman, C., Liebergen, A., Leuenberg, K., Setter, R. K., Ridder, L., et al. (2003) · The Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1067/s0022-3476(03)00391-3 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Barakat, L. P. (2003) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsg019 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Pharmacologic and Psychologic Interventions for Procedural Pain
Kazak, A. E., Penati, B., Brophy, P., & Himelstein, B. P. (1998) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.102.1.59 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Helping Preschool Leukemia Patients and Their Parents Cope During Injections
Powers, S. W., Bloont, R. L., Bachanas, P. J., Cotter, M. W., & Swan, S. C. (1993) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/18.6.681 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Dahlquist, L. M., Pendley, J. S., Landtrip, D. S., Jones, C. L., & Steuber, C. P. (2002) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.21.1.94 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Lobato, D. J., & Kao, B. T. (2005) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsi054 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Development and evaluation of an interactive CD-ROM for children with leukemia and their families
Dragone, M. A., Bush, P. J., Jones, J. K., Bearison, D. J., & Kamani, S. (2002) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/s0738-3991(01)00166-5 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Psychosocial adjustment among pediatric cancer patients and their parents
Chao, C., Chen, S., Wang, C., Wu, Y., & Yeh, C. (2003) · Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences · doi:10.1046/j.1440-1819.2003.01082.x · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Hoekstra‐Weebers, J. E. H. M., Heuvel, F., Jaspers, J., Kamps, W. A., & Klip, E. C. (1998) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/23.3.207 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Psychosocial impacts of a camping experience for children with cancer and their siblings
Wellisch, D. K., Crater, B., Wiley, F. M., Belin, T. R., & Weinstein, K. A. (2005) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.922 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Smith, K. E., Gotlieb, S., Gurwitch, R. H., & Blotcky, A. D. (1987) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/12.4.533 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Barrera, M. E. (2000) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/25.2.117 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Brown, R. T. (2002) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/27.2.191 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Enhancing reviews of psychological treatments with pediatric populations: thoughts on next steps.
Drotar, D. (2002) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/27.2.167 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Bradlyn, A. S., Beale, I. L., & Kato, P. M. (2003) · Journal of Child and Family Studies · doi:10.1023/a:1023983609702 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
The feasibility of offering a family level intervention to parents of children with cancer
Svavarsdóttir, E. K., & Sigurðardóttir, A. Ó. (2005) · Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1471-6712.2005.00360.x · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Introduction to the Special Issue: Time for Family-Based Interventions in Pediatric Psychology?
Fiese, B. H. (2005) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsi049 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Commentary: Is it Time for Family-Based Interventions in Pediatric Psychology?
Wood, B. L. (2005) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsi057 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
BRIEF FAMILY‐FOCUSED INTERVENTION ON THE PEDIATRIC CANCER UNIT
Friedrich, W. N., & Copeland, D. R. (1983) · Journal of Marital and Family Therapy · doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.1983.tb01513.x · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Conte, P. M., & Walco, G. A. (2006) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780195169850.003.0012 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Psychosocial Interventions and therapeutic support as a standard of care in pediatric oncology
Steele, A. C., Mullins, L. L., Mullins, A. J., & Muriel, A. C. (2015) · Pediatric Blood & Cancer · doi:10.1002/pbc.25701 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Wakefield, C. E., Sansom-Daly, U. M., McGill, B. C., Ellis, S. J., Doolan, E. L., Robertson, E. G., Mathur, S., & Cohn, R. J. (2016) · Supportive Care in Cancer · doi:10.1007/s00520-016-3077-6 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Peikert, M. L., Inhestern, L., & Bergelt, C. (2018) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0196151 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Social support and childhood cancer survivors: A systematic review (2006–2022)
Deegan, A., Brennan, C., Gallagher, P., Lambert, V., & Dunne, S. (2023) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.6128 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Wakefield, C. E., Sansom-Daly, U. M., McGill, B. C., McCarthy, M., Girgis, A., Grootenhuis, M., Barton, B., Patterson, P., Osborn, M., Lowe, C., et al. (2015) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0681-6 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Wakefield, C. E., Sansom-Daly, U. M., McGill, B. C., Hetherington, K., Ellis, S. J., Robertson, E. G., Donoghoe, M. W., McCarthy, M., Kelada, L., Girgis, A., et al. (2021) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers13225597 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“However, few interventions have implemented evidence-based treatments [31,32] and many have not been evaluated with rigorous research designs in pediatric oncology [7,24,25,27].”
Background
- Authors
- Meyler, E., Guerin, S., Kiernan, G., Postgrad Dip Counselling and Psychotherapy, P., & Breatnach, F.
- Affiliations
- University College Dublin (IE)
- ORCID
- Kiernan, G.
- Venue
- Journal of Pediatric Psychology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2010-05-05
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1116-1132
- ISSN
- 0146-8693 (ISSN-L)
- 1465-735X
- OpenAlex
- W2157784069
- Cited by
- 68
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 0.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Pediatric Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Family Support in Illness
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Keywords
- childhood cancer, pediatric oncology, family members, intervention feasibility and acceptability, empirically supported treatments, intervention outcomes
- MeSH terms
- Child, Family Therapy, Humans, Neoplasms, Evidence-Based Practice
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
