Perceived school connectedness as it relates to parent-reported behavior and adaptive skills in youth with recently diagnosed cancer

ABSTRACT

Background: School connectedness is predictive of academic success, psychological adjustment, and positive peer relationships, which are outcomes that may be at-risk in youth treated for cancer. This study aimed to assess the impact of a cancer diagnosis and separation from school on youths’ self-reported school connectedness in early post-diagnosis months. We hypothesized that children with cancer recruited from a pediatric research hospital would experience a decline in school connectedness compared to healthy peers due to prolonged school absence.Methods: Youth recently diagnosed with cancer (N = 82) and demographically similar healthy peers (N = 64) were assessed across a 3-month timespan. Youth completed the Hemingway Measure of Adolescent Connectedness (HMAC) at baseline and at 3-months post, while parents completed scales from the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2) at 3-months post.Results: At baseline, HMAC scores were lower in youth with cancer than community youth. These differences in HMAC scores remained stable over 3-months time. Baseline HMAC scores were inversely related to externalizing behavioral symptoms and positively related to resiliency 3-months after baseline in both samples.Conclusion: Findings emphasize the importance of youth perceived connectedness to school for adjustment outcomes, regardless of whether they have a cancer diagnosis. This study highlights the sustainability of school connectedness despite potential disruption in school attendance.

Acknowledgments

Supported in part by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (P30-CA21765), and by the American Lebanese-Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Human Subjects Approval Statement

Treatment of participants in this study was reviewed and approved by the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital institutional review board (FWA 00004775; Protocol number Pro00002420).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute [R01 CA136782]; American Lebanese-Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC).