Commentary:  Harnessing the Parent Perspective to Understand Cancer-Related Fatigue in Adolescents

As a result of medical innovations, survival rates for pediatric cancer are around 83% today (Siegel, 2016). Unfortunately, two thirds of survivors of childhood cancer will experience long-term side effects from their cancer and its treatments (Blaauwbroek et al., 2007), such as fatigue. Fatigue is defined as a general lack of energy, tiredness, or exhaustion, is different from the tiredness a person feels at the end of the day, is not related to activity, and may not resolve with additional rest or sleep (Canadian Cancer Society, 2019). Up to 100% of children report experiencing fatigue during and immediately after cancer treatments (Spathis et  al., 2015). Because of its persistence, fatigue is distressing and significantly impacts the daily functioning and quality of life of cancer survivors (Berger et  al., 2012;Meeske et  al., 2007). Interventions for fatigue have focused on exercise, activity management, psychoeducation, and peer support (Nowe et  al., 2017;Spathis et  al., 2015;van Vulpen et  al., 2019). Significant gaps in the literature regarding cancer-related fatigue exist, however. First, its causes are largely unknown and therefore it has been difficult to focus on prevention. Also, the literature lacks clarity on what factors may maintain symptoms of fatigue. Finally, there is a paucity of literature that has explored the experience of caregivers who care for those suffering from fatigue. In the case of adolescents, caregivers play an important role in man...
Source: Journal of Pediatric Psychology - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research