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Coping with cancer and the effects of treatment in children and adolescents

Karolina Erwina Stenka, Paweł Kajetan Izdebski

Affiliacja i adres do korespondencji
Psychiatr Psychol Klin 2017, 17 (4), p. 334–341
DOI: 10.15557/PiPK.2017.0037
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Streszczenie

Introduction: Increasing attention has been recently awarded to the process of coping with cancer among children. Cancer is the second cause of deaths among children aged 1 to 19. Still, publications concerning this issue among teenagers and children in Poland are relatively scarce. However, the enormous difficulties that young patients are faced with have led to an increased interest in the mechanisms of coping with the disease. Material and method: This article is a review of the body of research concerned with coping with cancer. The literature reviewed was accessed through Medline and PsycARTICLES databases. Additionally, some available Polish sources were used. Discussion: Paediatric psycho-oncology has no effective methods of the assessment of coping, with the diversity of the applied research methods rendering the comparison of their results difficult. Additional problems result from the huge discrepancy in patients’ age presented in different studies. Children and teenagers usually show a good level of adaptation to the situation. As a result of developmental changes, the efficacy of coping methods improves. The application of active strategies is a prerequisite for good adaptation to illness. Conclusion: Children who deal with cancer show surprisingly good adaptation. Their situation considered, a worse level of adaptation, with a higher level of anxiety and depression were originally expected, yet the hypothesis has been proved to be false.

Słowa kluczowe
coping, cancer, children, adolescents, adjustment