scholarly journals Suicide ideation and associated mortality in adult survivors of childhood cancer

Cancer ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara M. Brinkman ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Christopher J. Recklitis ◽  
Cara Kimberg ◽  
Lonnie K. Zeltzer ◽  
...  
2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Recklitis ◽  
Lisa R. Diller ◽  
Xiaochun Li ◽  
Julie Najita ◽  
Leslie L. Robison ◽  
...  

Purpose To evaluate risk of suicide ideation (SI) after childhood cancer, prevalence of SI in a cohort of adult survivors of pediatric cancers was compared with prevalence in a sibling comparison group. The relationship of SI to cancer treatment and current health was examined, and the hypothesis that poor physical health is significantly associated with suicidality, after adjusting for depression, was specifically tested. Methods Nine thousand one hundred twenty-six adult survivors of childhood cancer and 2,968 siblings enrolled onto the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study completed a survey describing their demographics and medical and psychological functioning, including SI in the prior week. Results Of survivors, 7.8% reported SI compared with 4.6% of controls (odds ratio = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.4 to 2.4). Suicidality was unrelated to age, age at diagnosis, sex, cancer therapy, recurrence, time since diagnosis, or second malignancy. SI was associated with primary CNS cancer diagnosis, depression, and poor health outcomes including chronic conditions, pain, and poor global health rating. A logistic regression analysis showed that poor current physical health was significantly associated with SI even after adjusting for cancer diagnosis and depression. Conclusion Adult survivors of childhood cancers are at increased risk for SI. Risk of SI is related to cancer diagnosis and post-treatment mental and physical health, even many years after completion of therapy. The association of suicidal symptoms with physical health problems is important because these may be treatable conditions for which survivors seek follow-up care and underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach to survivor care.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 3852-3857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Recklitis ◽  
Rebecca A. Lockwood ◽  
Monica A. Rothwell ◽  
Lisa R. Diller

Purpose This study examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation and past suicide attempt in adult survivors of childhood cancer and investigated the relationship of suicidal symptoms to cancer treatment and current health. The hypothesis that poor physical health would be significantly associated with suicidality after adjusting for mental health variables was specifically tested. Methods Two hundred twenty-six adult survivors of childhood cancer (mean age, 28 years) seen in a survivor clinic completed the Short Form-36 and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), as well as suicide items from the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised, and Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. Participants reporting current suicide ideation or any past suicide attempt were classified as suicidal. Results Twenty-nine participants (12.83%) reported suicidality, although only 11 of these were significantly depressed by BDI criteria. Univariate analyses found suicidality unrelated to age or sex but positively associated with younger age at diagnosis, longer time since diagnosis, cranial radiation treatment, leukemia diagnosis, depression, hopelessness, pain, and physical appearance concern. A hierarchical logistic regression showed that current physical functioning, including pain, was significantly associated with suicidality even after adjusting for treatment and depression variables. Conclusion Suicidal symptoms, which are reported by a significant minority of adult survivors of childhood cancer, are related to cancer treatments and post-treatment mental and physical health. Association of suicidal symptoms with physical health problems is important because these represent treatable conditions for which survivors may seek follow-up care. The relationship of physical well-being to suicidality underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach to survivor care.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Lee ◽  
Gunan R. Ganju ◽  
Jordan G. Marchak ◽  
Ronica Nanda ◽  
Mehul M. Shah ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Klap B ◽  
L te Winkel M ◽  
den Hoed M ◽  
van Waas M ◽  
J C M M Neggers S ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 825-836
Author(s):  
Morgan Young-Speirs ◽  
Caitlin Forbes ◽  
Michaela Patton ◽  
K. Brooke Russell ◽  
Mehak Stokoe ◽  
...  

Survivors of childhood cancer (SCCs) are at increased risk of late effects, which are cancer- and treatment-related side-effects that are experienced months to years post-treatment and encapsulate a range of physical, cognitive and emotional problems including secondary malignancies. Perceived health can serve as an indicator of overall health. This study aims to (1) understand how a patient reported outcome (PRO) of perceived health of SCCs compares to controls who have not had a cancer diagnosis and (2) examine the relationships between perceived health and demographic and clinical variables, and health behavior. A total of 209 SCCs (n = 113 (54.10%) males; median age at diagnosis = 6.50 years; median time off treatment = 11.10 years; mean age at study = 19.00 years) were included. SCCs completed annual assessments as part of Long-Term Survivor Clinic appointments, including a question on perceived health answered on a five-point Likert scale. Data were collected retrospectively from medical charts. Perceived health of SCCs was compared to a control group (n = 836) using data from the 2014 Canadian Community Health Survey. Most SCCs (67%) reported excellent or very good health. The mean perceived health of SCCs (2.15 ± 0.91) was not statistically different from population controls (2.10 ± 0.87). Pain (B = 0.35; p < 0.001), physical activity (B = −0.39; p = 0.013) and concerns related to health resources (B = 0.59; p = 0.002) were significant predictors of perceived health. Factors shown to influence SCCs’ perceived health may inform interventions. Exploration into how SCCs develop their conception of health may be warranted.


Author(s):  
Taylor M. Dattilo ◽  
Randal S. Olshefski ◽  
Leena Nahata ◽  
Jennifer A. Hansen-Moore ◽  
Cynthia A. Gerhardt ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Young individuals face a variety of developmental tasks as they mature into adulthood. For survivors of childhood cancer, growing up may be more difficult due to their illness and late effects from treatment. This study is the first to quantitatively examine perceptions of maturity and how these perceptions contribute to satisfaction with life among young adult survivors of childhood cancer. Methods Ninety survivors of childhood cancer (Mage = 29.8; 7–37 years post-diagnosis) were recruited to complete online surveys on how mature they felt relative to peers, their perceived maturity on three domains (financial, personal, social), and life satisfaction. Results Most survivors (62%; n = 56) felt they grew up faster than their peers, and over half (56%; n = 50) felt more mature. Perceived maturity was high on all three domains, but brain tumor survivors reported significantly lower maturity than other survivors (d = 0.76–1.11). All maturity domains were positively associated with life satisfaction (r = .49–.56). Hierarchical linear regressions indicated that 44% of the variance in life satisfaction was explained by perceptions of growing up slower (β =  − 1.08, p = .004) and marginally by greater perceived personal maturity (β = 0.45, p = .061). Conclusions Childhood cancer can influence development, with most survivors feeling that they grew up faster and were more mature than peers. Personal maturity was related to life satisfaction, with survivors of brain tumors or those who felt they grew up slower at greatest risk for lower life satisfaction. Future research and clinical practice should consider survivors’ development and maturation across the life span to promote overall well-being.


Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Jefferies ◽  
Wojciech M. Mazur ◽  
Carrie R. Howell ◽  
Juan C. Plana ◽  
Kirsten K. Ness ◽  
...  

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