Chemotherapy side effects in children and adolescents with leukemia and its relationship with maternal treatment information

Background & Aim The evaluation of side effects caused by chemotherapy drugs in the hospital provides a proper view of the cause, severity and degree of preventability of side effects. Parents are increasingly taking on the role of providing nursing care for their children, on the other hand, knowing their level of information as a management tool can be used in planning and improving health measures; Therefore, it is necessary to determine the information of the parents and especially the mother as the main caregiver before the first discharge of their child from the hospital. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the side effects of chemotherapy in children and adolescents with leukemia and its relationship with mothers' treatment information. Methods & Materials A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in ۲۰۲۲ involving ۱۱۰ mothers and their children and adolescents (aged ۶-۱۸) with leukemia who were receiving care at Tabriz teaching hospitals. Data collection instruments included the American Cancer Society's chemotherapy side effects checklist and the Motlagh et al. information questionnaire for parents of children with cancer. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version ۲۴, employing chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, paired t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA. Results The severity of complications related to fever, nausea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, diarrhea, and anorexia demonstrated a linear increase throughout chemotherapy cycles. Constipation and bleeding showed a non-linear (U-shaped) increase. The most serious complications were associated with anorexia, nausea, and fever, while constipation and bleeding were the least severe. A significant relationship was found between all chemotherapy complications and the level of maternal information (p۰.۰۵). Conclusion Our results showed that mothers with a child with leukemia under the first course of chemotherapy sought to obtain or increase their information related to their child's treatment, and the acquisition of information was more at the time of chemotherapy side effects. The findings of the present study can be vital in planning and implementing programs to improve mothers' information and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy among children and adolescents with leukemia. It can also help nursing education officials to place the concepts of chemotherapy and the importance of caregivers' information, which has been given less attention so far, as a more essential part of nursing education programs.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cancer ، leukemia ، children ، teenagers ، treatment information ، chemotherapy side effects