Background
The COVID‐19 pandemic has prompted unprecedented challenges, contributing to greater difficulties among families of children with special health care needs, such as pediatric brain tumor survivors. We examined the impact of the pandemic on psychosocial functioning of adolescent and emerging adult survivors and their parents. We hypothesized that COVID‐19 disruptions and survivor social connectedness would be associated with survivor‐reported posttraumatic stress and family outcomes, including family functioning, parenting, and parent mental health.
Procedure
Fifty‐five families (44 survivors, 48 parents) were recruited via phone and email to participate in the study. Survivors were ages 13–25 (M = 19.62, SD = 3.47) and at least 5 years post diagnosis. Parents completed the COVID‐19 Exposure and Family Impact Survey (CEFIS), and survivors completed the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) COVID‐19 child self‐report form, which assessed pandemic impacts on their psychosocial functioning.
Results
Parents reported a mean of 7.52 (SD = 2.83) disruptions to their families’ lives. The pandemic negatively affected survivors’ life satisfaction (
M
diff
= 0.46,
t
(44) = 3.96,
p
< .001), with 92% reporting reduced social connectedness (
n
= 39). Total disruptions due to COVID‐19 and survivor social connectedness predicted survivor‐reported posttraumatic stress, above and beyond survivors’ pre‐pandemic psychosocial risk. Most parents reported positive changes in their parenting (
n
= 31, 67.4%) and family cohesion (
n
= 30, 66.7%). However, they also reported worsened mood (
n
= 28, 62.3%) and increased anxiety (
n
= 31, 71.1%).
Conclusions
Parents and survivors reported positive and negative impacts of COVID‐19, which had downstream consequences on survivor psychosocial functioning. Follow‐up care should consider potential adverse effects on social connectedness and stress symptoms.
Introduction
Pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS) experience psychosocial difficulties and poor quality of life (QOL). Family functioning may be adversely impacted by the stress of diagnosis and associated symptoms, which may, in turn, affect PBTS outcomes. The objective of this study was to complete a systematic review of family functioning and psychosocial outcomes in PBTS.
Methods
We conducted systematic searches of PubMed and PsychInfo. Full‐text articles (n = 324) were screened and 14 were included. A risk‐of‐bias assessment was conducted to evaluate the quality of study conclusions.
Results
Studies examined associations of family functioning with adaptive, social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes, and QOL. More adaptive family functioning (cohesiveness, effective communication, lower conflict) was associated with better PBTS outcomes. Studies were limited by heterogeneous/small samples and cross‐sectional designs.
Conclusions
Results provide preliminary support for the relationship between family functioning and psychosocial outcomes. Common outcome measures and prospective research designs can further advance understanding.
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