Lauren Rivers
Johns Hopkins University School of Education, USA
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Pediatr Ther
Statistics have made it possible to safely assume that there are thousands of children and families coping with pediatric cancer at any given time. Fortunately, many more pediatric patients are surviving cancer and other terminal diagnoses than ever before and with that survivorship come an increased need for psychosocial care. This literature review aims to gather and summarize the results from the most relevant literature available to better understand how the field of pediatric psychosocial oncology can further improve and develop, as well as how the diagnosis impacts the family unit. It has been analyzed that twenty-three research articles concerning the implications of pediatric psychosocial oncology through Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries. The literature review covers four separate categories such as patient implications and lateeffects experienced by survivors, professional implications and the influence of culture, the sibling experience and the family and caregiver experience. Each article is from 2006 or later, with the majority published in 2018. Main observations from this review are that certain factors such as late-effects, the sibling relationship, SES, religiosity, culture, resilience and psychosocial risk level all need to be accommodated for and discussed more in-depth with the patients and their families. Many of the factors listed above influence the implications of a pediatric cancer diagnosis; however, it is concluded that addressing each factor in a more holistic manner, while simultaneously accommodating for each family member, suggests the potential to decrease negative psychosocial implications.
Lauren Rivers is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Johns Hopkins University. She has experience in counseling various populations such as the homeless population, substance use population, children and adolescents, as well as the adult outpatient population and also young adult inpatient population at Sheppard Pratt Mental Health Hospital.
E-mail: lrivers1@jhu.edu
