The Effect of Optimism and Connectedness on Psychological Adjustment of Children with Cancer and Comparison Peers.
Anandi C Ehman, Sasja A Schepers, Sean Phipps
PMID 30633067WHAT IT FOUND
Higher optimism was linked to more connectedness to parents, peers, and friends, which was linked to fewer emotional symptoms.
The links held for children with cancer and healthy peers. Parent connectedness was linked to fewer emotional symptoms only in children with cancer.
Key findings
01Greater optimism was associated with greater connectedness to parents, peers, and friends, and connectedness was associated with lower emotional symptoms.
02The link from optimism to adjustment through connectedness did not differ between children with cancer and comparison peers.
03For children with cancer, connectedness to parents was linked to fewer emotional symptoms, while for comparison peers optimism was linked to fewer emotional symptoms.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study relied only on the children's own reports, so parents or clinicians did not confirm the optimism, connectedness, or emotional symptom scores. The sample came from one children's hospital and local schools, so the results may not apply to other regions or care settings. Most participants were well adjusted, with only 32 scoring At-Risk and 12 scoring Clinically Significant on emotional symptoms, so the findings may not apply to children with more serious distress. The study did not test an intervention, so it cannot show that increasing optimism or connectedness improves adjustment. The analysis could not compare different cancer diagnoses or treatment groups in detail because the sample was not large enough.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The publication types list NIH and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that optimism or connectedness interventions improve adjustment in children with cancer. The study was observational, tested no intervention, and most participants were already well adjusted.