PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY PATIENTS' ANXIETY AND LIFE QUALITY: PARENT AND CHILD PERSPECTIVES

This study aims to examine the anxiety level of children with oncologic problems and their life quality from the perspective of children and parents and to evaluate the relationship. The study was conducted between March 2022 and April 2023 with children aged 7-12 years and their parents hospitalized in the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic and treated in the Outpatient Clinic of a university hospital. The study sample comprised 124 children and their parents who met the criteria. The data of the study were collected with the "Child and Parent Descriptive Form," "7-12 Years Pediatric Oncology Patients Life Quality Scale Child and Parent Form," and "Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index". In the study, 54% of the children were girls, the median age was 9.30±1.65 years, and 72.6% were diagnosed with ALL. Significance was found in the variables of the child's gender, schooling status, and family type with the Life Quality child form and in the duration of diagnosis, grade level, and parental spouse education status with the Life Quality parent form. Significance was found with the CASI in the variables of the duration of the child's diagnosis and the parental spouse's education status. There was a negative correlation between the age and grade of the child and quality of life (parent form) and CASI, and a positive correlation between quality of life (child form). There was a negative relationship between parental age and parental partner age and CASI. There was a negative relationship between quality of life (child form) and quality of life (parent form), a negative relationship between quality of life (parent form) and CASI, and a positive relationship between quality of life (child form) and CASI. Anxiety, child-parent perspective, and quality of life were effective for children with oncologic problems.