Understanding family perspectives: knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding pediatric lymphoma in China

This study explores the knowledge, attitudes, and caregiving behaviors of families supporting children diagnosed with lymphoma, conducted across seven major hospitals in China. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected between August 2024 and February 2025. High knowledge, positive attitudes, and active caregiving were defined as achieving at least 80% of the maximum possible scores in their respective domains. The study included 480 participants, 55.4% of whom were female, and 89.8% were parents of pediatric patients. The average scores for knowledge, attitudes, and caregiving behaviors were 17.64 ± 4.81 (67.8% of the maximum), 50.95 ± 4.24 (78.4%), and 38.43 ± 4.14 (85.4%), respectively. SEM analysis revealed that better knowledge was linked to more positive perceptions (β = 0.369, P < 0.001) and greater caregiving involvement (β = 0.194, P < 0.001). Positive perceptions were strongly associated with active caregiving (β = 0.565, P < 0.001), and knowledge indirectly influenced caregiving behaviors via perceptions (β = 0.404, P < 0.001). While family members demonstrated limited knowledge and only moderately positive perceptions, their caregiving practices were proactive. These findings underscore the necessity of targeted education and support programs to close knowledge gaps and enhance the caregiving abilities of families supporting pediatric lymphoma patients in China.