title: Childhood cancer: a two-year prospective study of the psychological adjustment of children and parents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To follow prospectively the psychological adjustment of young children, parents, and families during the first 2 years after the children's diagnosis of cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 2 to 5 years with cancer diagnoses and their parents and families (n = 38) were assessed immediately after diagnosis, 1 year after diagnosis, and 2 years after diagnosis. At each assessment, the psychological adjustment of the children and their families was compared with the adjustment of a cohort of children and families in the general community (n = 39).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with cancer and their parents experienced significantly more emotional distress than children and parents in the community during the period immediately after diagnosis. However, the number of problems experienced by the children with cancer and their parents declined during the first year after the children's diagnosis and stabilized at a level comparable with that found among children and parents in the general community.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the results are consistent with reports that suggest that in the longer term the prevalence of psychological problems among children with cancer is similar to that found among children in the general community, they also highlight the considerable distress experienced by children and parents during the period immediately after the children's diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Adelaide, Australia. msawyer@medicine.adelaide.edu.au
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sawyer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antoniou
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Toogood
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000523:psychology*; D012803:Sick Role