Psychosocial Consequences of Bone Marrow Transplantation in Children

Abstract

This article describes a pilot study that was undertaken before the authors proceeded with a systematic, three-year study on the psychosocial effects of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) among pediatric patients from four London hospitals and their families. The first 15 patients admitted to one hospital for BMT were included in the pilot study in an attempt to (1) assess the acceptability of the research among patients and families, (2) evaluate the proposed research methods, and (3) collect preliminary data on the psychosocial effects of BMT on patients and their families before and during treatment. The assessment procedures proved to be acceptable to patients, parents, and siblings, and the research methods proved to be feasible. Preliminary work on the psychosocial effects of BMT indicated that before the treatment, the majority of the parents showed depressive symptoms, whereas most of the children were relatively well adjusted. During the treatment, however, the patients exhibited behavioral and emotional changes. In addition, since some family members were separated from the family in all families, the parents' and siblings' ability to cope was affected. New behavior problems occurred far more frequently among siblings who were bone marrow donors than among the other siblings. On the basis of their findings, the authors are proceeding with the main study, and a one-year follow-up is planned.