Absence of depressive symptoms in childhood cancer survivors: Posttraumatic growth or repressive adaptive coping style?

作者：Komarkova Irena; Blatny Marek^*; Jelinek Martin; Kepak Tomas

来源：Ceskoslovenska Psychologie, 2013, 57(6): 542-553.

• depression
• childhood cancer survivors
• late effects
• quality of life

Objective. The purpose of this study was to explore symptoms of depression in childhood cancer survivors.
Sample and setting. The study included 91 childhood cancer survivors (47 girls) aged 9-19. Depressiveness was measured by means of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) within a period of two to five years after treatment completion while monitoring the late effects of oncological treatment and survivors' quality of life. The data has been compared to a group of child patients with another chronic disease and a group of healthy children (comparison groups). Hypotheses. The aim of the study was to identify whether possible differences between the individual groups of respondents manifest themselves in some specific CDI subscales and thus help better identify possible complaints among the survivors.
Statistical analysis. The sum scores for the whole CDI scale and its sub-scales were compared by factor analysis of variance.
Results. Former oncological patients (study group) scored significantly lower in the CDI in comparison to both comparison groups, and the analysis of individual CDI subscales has established a significant difference between the study group and the two comparison groups in relation to the Negative Mood, Anhedonia and Negative Self-esteem subscales. The lowest depressiveness scores have been explored on the specified subscales for the cancer survivor group.
Study limitation. The research has the usual limitations arising from the fact that a self-report method was used. CDI data should be verified using projective testing and an interview in future research.

• 出版日期2013