Treatment of posttraumatic stress symptoms in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer and their families: a randomized clinical trial.
Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), particularly intrusive thoughts, avoidance, and arousal, are among the most common psychological aftereffects of childhood cancer for survivors and their mothers and fathers. We conducted a randomized wait-list control trial of a newly developed 4-session, 1-day intervention aimed at reducing PTSS that integrates cognitive-behavioral and family therapy approaches--the Surviving Cancer Competently Intervention Program (SCCIP). Participants were 150 adolescent survivors and their mothers, fathers, and adolescent siblings. Significant reductions in intrusive thoughts among fathers and in arousal among survivors were found in the treatment group. A multiple imputations approach was used to address nonrandom missing data and indicated that treatment effects would likely have been stronger had more distressed families been retained. The data are supportive of brief interventions to reduce PTSS in this population and provide additional support for the importance of intervention for multiple members of the family.
Kazak
Anne E
AE
Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399, USA. kazak@email.chop.edu
Alderfer
Melissa A
MA
Streisand
Randi
R
Simms
Steven
S
Rourke
Mary T
MT
Barakat
Lamia P
LP
Gallagher
Paul
P
Cnaan
Avital
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome