Dr Belinda Barton
Children’s Hospital Education Research Institute (CHERI), Children’s Hospital at Westmead
Rotary Club of St Ives
The Barbara Moore Research Grant 2010
Quality of Life for People with Cancer
Dr Belinda Barton is Head of the Children’s Hospital Education Research Institute (CHERI), The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Conjoint Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney. Dr Barton is also a registered psychologist, with significant research and clinical experience on the cognitive and psychosocial functioning of children and adolescents with a chronic illness.
Her expertise is well recognised and she is often invited to present at conference, both nationally and internationally. Her research interests include neurofibromatosis type 1; velocardiofacial syndrome, cancer, learning problems, social skills and self-concept. She has published her research in journal articles and also co-authored two books on medical statistics.
SUMMARY OF PROJECT:
Health related quality of life and social support in children newly diagnosed with cancer
Cancer and its treatment can have significant short and long term effects on the physical, psychological and social functioning of individuals. These effects can negatively impact on the quality of life (QOL) of children who are being treated with cancer and those who survive cancer. Health related QOL (HRQOL) refers to individuals’ perception of how the illness and treatment affects their life in relation to their physical, social, emotional and cognitive functioning. Very few studies have examined the HRQOL of children newly diagnosed with cancer or children who are survivors of cancer. Results suggest that children newly diagnosed with cancer have significantly poorer HRQOL than their healthy peers and the HRQOL can improve over a relatively short period of time. However, this requires further investigation.
Certain factors such as medical and demographic variables such as the type of cancer and age of the child are related to the HRQOL of survivors of childhood cancer. One potential factor that may be related to HRQOL is social support. Social support refers to an individual’s perception of support of supportive behaviours that help in dealing with demands, adverse or stressful events. Social support can be provided parents, friends and health professionals. Social support is the major and the most important coping strategy for adolescents and young adults with cancer. To date, no study has examined the relationship between HRQOL and social support for children with cancer.
The aim of this study is to examine the HRQOL and social support of children newly diagnosed with cancer. We will follow these children for six months to identify changes over time for HRQOL and social support. In addition, we will examine the relationship between HRQOL and social support. The results of this study will assist in determining the course of HRQOL over time and factors that may contribute to HRQOL. This will assist in the development of interventions that can be implemented at appropriate and crucial time points.