Post-Traumatic Stress, depression and anxiety symptoms among childhood cancer survivors and their parents

Our study revealed high rates of psychological symptoms among CCS and their parents during the survivorship phase. The dual-informant design using pediatric self-report, parent self-report, and parent-proxy report enabled exploration of interconnections between psychological symptoms of CCS and their parents. Parents' perceptions of children's distress correlated more with their own emotional state than with children's self-reports, suggesting parental projection. Predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms, including time since diagnosis, parental education and biological-sex, depression and anxiety. Our results emphasize the need for screening both children and parents, prioritizing child self-report, and providing tailored, ongoing psychosocial support for CCS and their families.