Objective Families of children with cancer undergoing treatment during COVID‐19 pandemic represent a vulnerable population for psychological distress and early identification and remedial measures are imperative for wellbeing of both the children and the caregivers. This article reports the results of assessment of psychological distress in primary caregivers of children with cancer undergoing treatment at a tertiary care center. Methods Primary caregivers of children with cancer (≤15 years) taking treatment at our institute during the period of July 2020 to August 2020 were prospectively evaluated for psychological distress using Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7 (GAD‐7) tools over a telephonic call. There were 2 cohorts, A and B (50 participants each) depending on whether child was diagnosed with COVID‐19 or not respectively during the study period. Results The assessment tool, PHQ‐9 showed a score of ≥10 in 13% ( n = 13) participants (95%CI:7.1%–21.2%) in the entire cohort and in 16% ( n = 8, 95%CI:5.8%–26.2%) and 10% ( n = 5, 95%CI:1.7%–18.3%) participants in cohort A and cohort B respectively. GAD‐7 showed a score of ≥8 in 18% ( n = 18) participants (95%CI:11.0%–27.0%) in the entire cohort and in 20% ( n = 10, 95%CI:8.9%–31.1%) and 16% ( n = 8, 95%CI:5.8%–26.2%) participants in cohort A and cohort B respectively. All participants were assessed, and supportive psychotherapeutic interventions administered over telephonic call. Conclusions Primary caregivers should be assessed and followed up for psychological distress irrespective of other co‐existing factors. Robust support systems built over time could help withstand the exceptional strain of a major surge during a pandemic.

Introduction Psychological concerns are common in children and adolescents with cancer, for which they require referral to specialist services. There is a dearth of pediatric psycho-oncology services in India. There are limited studies on emotional and related distress in children. Objectives To evaluate the types of problems and associated factors in children and adolescents with cancer referred to the pediatric psycho-oncology service in a tertiary care oncology center in India. Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis of all referrals to the institution's pediatric psycho-oncology service over 5 years was performed. Patients newly referred to the service, up to 18 years of age, with a cancer diagnosis, on active disease-modifying treatment or supportive care or following up within 2 years of completion of treatment were included. Patients not on any disease-modifying treatment and receiving the best supportive care only were excluded as needs and problems would differ in this group. Patients whose medical records were incomplete were excluded too. Descriptive measures and tests of association were performed for analysis. Results Of the 278 children referred to the service in 5 years, 66.5% were males. The average age was 11 years (standard deviation [SD]: 4.5). Most children had hematolymphoid cancers (58.2%). All reported problems were mainly emotional/behavioral (59%), physical health-related (21%), and academic (14%). Male children, referred from outpatient clinics and undergoing treatment with palliative intent, had more emotional problems, but these factors were not statistically significant. Conclusion Children and adolescents with cancer had different problems, most commonly emotional/behavioral and physical health-related. Age, gender, and treatment intent were factors associated with emotional problems. Psychosocial care services for children and adolescents with cancer are necessary for low-resource settings.

Background: The Hospital and Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) is useful for screening depression and anxiety in cancer. It has not been validated in the Marathi language, which is the third most common language in India. We aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Marathi-translated version of HADS in cancer patients and their caregivers. Methods: In a cross-sectional study design, we administered the Hospital and Anxiety Depression Scale-Marathi version (HADS-Marathi) to 100 participants (50 patients and 50 caregivers) after obtaining their informed consent. The team Psychiatrist, who was blind to the HADS-Marathi scores, interviewed all participants and identified the presence of anxiety and depressive disorders using the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Diseases – 10th edition. We measured internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha, receiver operating characteristics, and factor structure. The study was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI). Results: The internal consistency of HADS-Marathi was good with 0.815, 0.797, and 0.887 for anxiety and depression subscales and total scale, respectively. The area under curve figures were 0.836 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.756 - 0.915), 0.835 (95% [CI]: 0.749–0.921), and 0.879 (95% [CI] 0.806–0.951) for anxiety and depression subscales, and total scale, respectively. The best cutoffs identified were 8 (anxiety), 7 (depression), and 15 (total). The scale displayed a three-factor structure, with two depression subscale and one anxiety subscales items loading on to the third factor. Conclusion: We found that the HADS-Marathi version is a reliable and valid instrument for use in cancer patients. However, we found a three-factor structure, possibly reflecting a cross-cultural effect.