The Effect of Constipation on Quality of Life in Child Patients Receiving Chemotherapy: Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of constipation on quality of life in paediatric patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods This study was carried out in a descriptive cross-sectional research design with 60 children and their parents in the outpatient chemotherapy unit of a university hospital. Data were collected face-to-face by means of questionnaires. Results It was determined that 70% of the children receiving chemotherapy experienced constipation. A significant correlation was found between having a female gender and experiencing constipation (p˂0.05). The quality of life of parents of children with constipation was low. At the same time, there is significance between experiencing constipation and parental quality of life (p˂0.05). Among children with constipation, 61.9% reported that they perceived constipation as a very important problem.