Level of anxiety among children with cancer and their parents in Riyadh City

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the anxiety levels of children with cancer and their parents following admission to the Military Hospital in Riyadh City.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a proforma between May 2019 to July 2019. Data collection involved the utilization of two tools. The first tool was a structured interview questionnaire design for children, while the second tool was intended for the parents of the children. The study sample comprised children and their parents who accompanied the child during hospitalization and chemotherapy. Approximately 74 children, aged 6-14 years old, diagnosed with cancer and admitted to the Riyadh Military Hospital, were enrolled in this study using convenience consecutive sampling.
Results: A total of 148 individuals participated in this study. Seventy-four parents were enrolled, with 68.9% being mothers and 31.1% fathers. Among the parents in the study, 29.7% experienced severe anxiety, 41.9% reported a moderate level of anxiety, and 20.3% had a low level of anxiety. Seventy-four children were included in the study sample, with 48.6% being boys and 51.4% girls. Among the children, 37.8% exhibited high levels of anxiety, 41.9% displayed moderate anxiety, and 20.3% reported low levels of anxiety. Additionally, a relationship was observed between the anxiety levels of parents and the anxiety levels of their children.
Conclusions: This study revealed that both children with cancer and their parents are experiencing moderate to severe levels of anxiety. The psychological well-being of cancer patients and their families is not a topic to be overlooked; rather, it is an important subject that requires attention and consideration.

Keywords

Screening / Anxiety / Childhood cancer / Parents of children with cancer / Anxiety tool for adults and children

ETHICAL STATEMENT

Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board in Prince Sultan Military Medical city, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia before any study started. The written form given to participants explains the study and give them the option to participate in the research all steps to maintain confidentiality.

IMPLICATION OF THE STUDY

Pediatric nurses are healthcare professionals who work collaboratively across disciplines and have a multidimensional focus when caring for patients with cancer and their parents. Pediatric nurses must provide care for parents and children, ensuring they have access to adequate information and the tools necessary to handle their family’s health and that of their children.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank king Saud University, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, especially pediatric oncology team Head of department Dr. Omar Al Sharif and Dr. Yasser El Borai as administrative supervisor and for their extensive assistance and supporting children with cancer and helping the research. Extend thanks to Mrs. Jennifer Buenaventura for help and contributions to drafting the final manuscript with authors.

AUTHORS CONTRIBUTIONS

All authors contributed to this manuscript accordingly. All authors have read and approved. the final manuscript and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

FUNDING

Not applicable.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE

The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

INFORMED CONSENT

Obtained.

ETHICS APPROVAL

The Publication Ethics Committee of the Sciedu Press. The journal’s policies adhere to the Core Practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

PROVENANCE AND PEER REVIEW

Not commissioned; externally double-blind peer reviewed.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

DATA SHARING STATEMENT

No additional data are available.

OPEN ACCESS

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

COPYRIGHTS

Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal.

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