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Stress, Adjustment And Growth In Children With Cancer And Their Parents

NCT01044160 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 663

Last updated 2026-04-29

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This proposal examines trauma and growth responses in the childhood cancer experience. It addresses a number of gaps and unanswered questions in the literature, while integrating several distinct but related lines of research. The rationale for this proposal is outlined briefly as follows:

1. Traumatic stress models focused on pathology dominate pediatric psychosocial oncology research despite empiric evidence of low levels of post-traumatic stress in this population.
2. The assumption of 'cancer as a traumatic event' has biased research designs (including lack of control comparisons) to focus on deficits and pathological outcomes.
3. This deficit-oriented approach has stimulated the development of interventions to treat or prevent PTSD, which may be unnecessary or even harmful.
4. Theoretical and empiric evidence suggests that a more common response to traumatic stress is growth and positive change, but posttraumatic growth phenomenon have been understudied in pediatric populations.
5. Cognitive and personality factors are important determinants of PTSD and positive growth outcomes, and some constructs from positive psychology theory may be particularly relevant in children with cancer.
6. Empirically, parents of children with cancer appear to be at higher risk of PTSD/PTSS, although results are not unequivocal, and the same research biases have applied to parental outcomes. This proposal includes assessment of parental PTSS and PTG, both as an outcome and a predictor of child outcomes.

Conditions

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Sean Phipps, Ph.D · St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Eligibility

Min Age
3 Years
Max Age
25 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2009-07-07
Primary Completion
2026-07-07
Completion
2026-07-07

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases
Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01044160 on ClinicalTrials.gov