| Description |
Childhood cancer presents a significant physical and emotional challenge for both the child and their family members. Accurate symptom reporting is essential in ensuring appropriate symptom management and maintaining the child's quality of life throughout the treatment process. However, discrepancies between child and parent reports can complicate this symptom assessment, especially because symptoms are subjective in nature. This thesis explores the differences in symptom reporting between school-age children with cancer (ages 6-12) and their parents, using data from the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS 7-12). This thesis also examines whether symptom reporting varies based on the child's gender. This secondary analysis of data was derived from a larger instrument development study focused on symptom self-management. A total of 95 child (42% girls) and parent (67% mothers) dyads from two pediatric oncology centers participated. Descriptive statistics, including chi-square analysis and independent t-tests, were conducted to compare the prevalence, severity, and distress of nine commonly reported pediatric cancer symptoms. Findings revealed statistically significant differences in how children and parents reported fatigue (χ=10.79, p<.01) and itchiness (χ=6.28; p=0.02), with children reporting a greater prevalence of these two symptoms than parents. Parents also often reported sadness and worry more frequently than their children, which suggests a possible overemphasis on emotional symptoms from parents, but these differences were not statistically significant. No gender-based differences in symptom reports were observed, whether based on reports by the child or the parent. These findings also emphasize the importance of incorporating the child's voice in symptom assessment to ensure comprehensive, effective care. When children's reports are ii overlooked or not assessed, there is a risk for inadequate treatment of physical symptoms and possible misinterpretations of emotional symptoms. The results of this thesis have implications for pediatric nursing practice, emphasizing the need for healthcare workers to prioritize both child and parent reports of symptoms. A limitation of this study was its cross-sectional design and that it was a secondary analysis. Future research should explore more longitudinal trends in symptom congruence and investigate how psychosocial and cultural factors could influence possible discrepancies in reporting. |
