Korean parents’ perceptions of the challenges and needs on school re-entry during or after childhood and adolescent cancer: A multi-institutional survey by Korean society of pediatric hematology and oncology

Abstract

Background: For children and adolescents with cancer, going back to school is a key milestone in returning to “normal life.” Purpose: To identify the support vital for a successful transi-tion, we evaluated the parents’ needs and the challenges they face when their children return to school. Methods: This multi-institutional study was conducted by the Korean Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. The written survey comprised 24 questions and was completed by 210 parents without an interviewer. Results: Most parents (165 of 206) reported that their children experienced difficulties with physical status (n=60), peer relationships (n=30), academic performance (n=27), emotional/behavioral issues (n=11), and relationships with teachers (n=4) on reentering school. Parents wanted to be kept informed about and remain involved in their children’s school lives and reported good parent-teacher communication (88 of 209, 42.1%). Parents reported that 83.1% and 44.9% of teachers and peers, respectively, displayed an adequate understanding of their children’s condition. Most parents (197 of 208) answered that a special program is necessary to facilitate return to school after cancer therapy that offers emotional support (n=85), facilitates social adaptation (n=61), and pro-vides tutoring to accelerate catch up (n=56), and continued health care by hospital outreach and school personnel (n=50). Conclusion: In addition to scholastic aptitude-oriented pro-grams, emotional and psychosocial support is necessary for a successful return to school. Pediatric oncologists should active-ly improve oncology practices to better integrate individualized school plans and educate peers and teachers to improve health literacy to aid them in understanding the needs of children with cancer.