Behavioral and Emotional Functioning of Children and Adolescents at the End of Treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Compared to Healthy Peers.

ABSTRACT

This study describes the behavioral and emotional adjustment of 77 children and adolescents 3 months post-treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), compared to 52 age and sex-matched healthy peers. Parents, teachers, and self-report ratings on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2) were utilized to measure psychological function. While overall mean scores were in the average range for both groups, parents and teachers rated patients higher on behavior symptoms, internalizing problems and adaptive skill difficulties. No significant differences between groups were observed on self-report, and inter-rater correlations were low to moderate. For the ALL group, maternal university completion was associated with elevations on parent report of behavioral problems, while no other factors predicted either parent or teacher report on other scales. Findings indicate that a subset of patients will require specialist psychosocial support to optimise their adjustment following treatment completion.