Psychological functioning of adolescent and young adult survivors of pediatric malignancy

Abstract

This cohort of childhood cancer survivors is characterized by very low levels of psychological distress and significantly better psychological health than would be expected according to normative data. These findings contrast with those of another study from the same institution in which a fourfold increase in social and behavioral problems was found amongst younger survivors, in the age range 7-15. The use of self-report vs. parent-report, and the potential influence of repressive adaptation on the self-reports of pediatric cancer survivors, are raised as possible explanations for these findings.