Personality Characteristics and Psychosocial Adjustment of Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Abstract

Psychological tests and structured interviews were administered to 42 survivors of childhood cancer to asses their psychosocial adjustment. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was administered to each survivor, and the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) was administered to his or her chopathology of each MMPI profile. Thirty-three percent of the survivors were found to exhibit clinical evidence of at least a moderate degree of emotional difficulty. The structured interviews, in combination with the MMPI test results, revealed agitation, restlessness, social withdrawal, and passivity as frequent behavioral difficulties. Parents' reprts (via the PIC) of their children's personalities were highly correlated with the survivors' MMPI profiles. With regard to social adjustment, the development of age-appropriate independent tasks appeared to be most difficult for survivors. The findings of this pilot study support the recommendation that psychosocial rehabilitation should be an important element of treatment after childhood cancer.