This study is designed to 1) investigate how off-treatment adolescent cancer patients re-integrate normative developmental tasks when faced with the residual burdens of cancer diagnosis and treatment and 2) how family process characteristics influence the adequacy and rapidity of adolescent psychosocial re-integration following cessation of cancer treatment. Given that advances in cancer treatment have enabled a greatly improved likelihood of long-term survival for many adolescent cancer patients, this process of re-integration has become particularly germane. A nonequivalent control group design with multi-method (self-report, interviewer rating, observer rating, coding of family interaction) multi-wave assessment (T1- T4) will be sued to collect longitudinal data from a final sample of 100 adolescent cancer patients and their families. Data concerning three sets of variables will be collected: Medical parameters, adolescent psychosocial functioning and family context. Each patient and their family will be evaluate prior to cessation of cancer treatment and at three times over a 24 month """"""""re-entry"""""""" period. In addition, a subset of the sample will be enrolled in a family-centered, psychoeducational program, aimed at evoking a facilitative family context for post-treatment re-entry. Multivariate data analyses will be used to examine the longitudinal course of adolescent cancer patients' and their families post-treatment re-entry to normative developmental activities and to determine whether family context influences the rapidity and adequacy of the adolescent's re-entry. We expect the findings from this study will advance knowledge of the processes by which off-treatment adolescent cancer patients resume normative activities following active treatment, and how certain family characteristics promote or impede this re-entry process. These issues may also be relevant to the promotion of mental health among other chronically ill adolescents and their families.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
7R01MH046475-02
Application #
3386291
Study Section
Life Course and Prevention Research Review Committee (LCR)
Project Start
1991-03-01
Project End
1996-02-29
Budget Start
1992-07-01
Budget End
1993-02-28
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
Department
Type
DUNS #
064931884
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10065