American Cancer Society Doctoral Research Grant in Clinical Oncology Social Work: Annemarie Redelmeier
Faculty Preceptor:
Barbara Jones, Ph.D.
Doctoral Investigator:
Annemarie Redelmeier
Duration: 8/1/2006-7/31/2009
Children with cancer face significant suffering including anxiety and reduced quality of life. Parents of children with advanced cancer report high levels of distress, anxiety and helplessness in the face of their child's untreated pain and psychosocial symptoms. Despite rapid medical advances in the treatment and cure of pediatric cancer, few empirically-based, nonpharmacological interventions that address symptom management in cancer have been developed. Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) meditation has great potential to reduce distress and anxiety in children with cancer and their parents.
The proposed study will examine whether a parent-supported mindfulness meditation intervention is feasible for children with cancer and will result in a decrease of child anxiety and parental distress as well as an increase in child relaxation and quality of life and parental self-efficacy.
Sponsor:
American Cancer Society
Keywords: gerontology, health care
