Document Type : Research Articles
Authors
1
Centre for Community Health Studies (ReaCH)/Clinical Psychology & Behavioural Health Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2
Faculty of Health Science, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
3
Clinical Psychology and Behavioural Health Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
4
Department of Pediatrics, UKM Medical Centre, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
5
Department of Radiology, UKM Medical Centre, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
6
Department of Educational Evaluation and Research, Faculty of Education, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus , Thailand.
Abstract
Objective: The caregivers of children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are believed to experience post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression and anxiety. This present study endeavoured to explore the prevalence and predictors of PTSS, depression, and anxiety among the caregivers of children with ALL. Methods: Purposive sampling was used to select the 73 caregivers of children with ALL who participated in this cross-sectional study. The Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to measure psychological distress. Result: There was a low prevalence (11%) of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the participants. Although all the criteria for PTSD were not met, a few post-traumatic symptoms remained, suggesting that PTSS was likely present. Most of the participants reported minimal symptoms of depression (79.5%) and anxiety (65.8%). Anxiety, depression, and ethnicity predicted the PTSS scores (R2 = .77, p =.000). Subsequently, depression predicted the PTSS scores (R2 = 0.42, p =0.000). Participants of ‘Other’ or ‘Indigenous’ ethnicity had lower PTSS scores and higher anxiety scores (R2 = 0.75, p =0.000) than participants of Malay ethnicity. Conclusion: The caregivers of children with ALL experience post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression, and anxiety. These variables co-exist and may have different trajectories in different ethnic groups. Therefore, healthcare providers should take ethnicity and psychological distress into consideration when providing paediatric oncology treatment and care.
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