Profiles of Symptom Suffering and Functioning in Children and Adolescents Receiving Chemotherapy.
Lei Cheng, Bryce B Reeve, Janice S Withycombe and 9 others
PMID 35816032WHAT IT FOUND
Children and adolescents on chemotherapy fall into three distinct groups: low, medium, or high symptom suffering.
High suffering was linked to baseline psychological stress, not age or sex. Nurses can use this to identify patients needing extra support.
Key findings
01Three distinct profiles of symptom suffering (High, Medium, Low) were identified at both time points.
02Baseline psychological stress was significantly associated with being in the High or Medium suffering profiles.
03Psychological stress predicted transitions into the High suffering profile over time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study only included English-speaking patients, limiting generalizability. Data collection covered a short period (one chemotherapy cycle), so long-term profile stability is unknown. Specific chemotherapy regimens were not recorded, so differences in toxicity between groups could not be analyzed. Psychological stress overlaps conceptually with anxiety and depression, which may inflate its association with symptom profiles.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that demographic factors like age or sex determine suffering levels. The study found that baseline psychological stress was the primary predictor of high symptom suffering, not patient demographics.