Abstract 792P
Background
An estimated 400000 four lakh children (aged 0 to 19 years) are diagnosed with cancer every year. Children and adolescents with cancer are at risk of developing depression due to physical symptoms, disturbance in the development, frequent hospitalisation, prolonged treatment and related complications. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depression among children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer.
Methods
This study was conducted in a pediatric ward with patients who were admitted between April 2024 to June 2024 at a regional cancer centre in India. 50 patients aged between 7 to 17 years were included in the study. The Children’s Depression Inventory scale, developed by Kovacs and Beck, was used to assess the depression.
Results
Out of 50 participants, five (10%) were found to have depression with cut-off child depression inventory score of above 15 and 20 for boys and girls, respectively. All five subjects who were found to be depressive were boys. Among them three belong to mild depression and two belong to severe depression with cut off Child depression inventory scale of 25 and above. Cancer patients above twelve years old had higher odds of been depressed (OR 2.33; 95%CI: 0.34,15.92) as compared to patients less than twelve years. Among five subjects, three of them had haematological malignancies, one with osteosarcoma with amputated leg and one with sinonasal carcinoma with progressive disease.
Conclusions
The prevalence of depression among study participants is 10%. There is a need to integrate psychotherapy into routine care of the paediatric population. This can help them to improve their quality of life, compliance with treatment and thereby increase the survival rate.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
V Niveditha.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.