Peer-reviewed article
Psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents across the cancer care continuum: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Paterson C, McCarthy MC, Sansom-Daly UM, Wakefield CE, Turner MR et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review examined 34 studies from 17 countries involving nearly 2,000 children and adolescents with cancer to evaluate how psychosocial interventions affect their brain function, mental health, and quality of life. Cognitive interventions improved brain function, while play therapy, creative therapies, animal assistance, exercise, and self-management education improved psychological outcomes and quality of life. Benefits were strongest for working memory, anxiety, and pain relief, though effects on depression, coping skills, and overall fatigue were not significant.
Key points
- Cognitive interventions showed significant positive effects on neurocognitive outcomes (standardized mean difference 0.51)
- Play and creative therapies, animal assistance therapy, self-management education, and physical activity improved psychological outcomes (SMD 0.42)
- Animal assistance therapy, play and creative therapies, and physical activity led to significant quality-of-life improvements (SMD 0.80)
- Most consistent benefits observed for working memory, anxiety, and pain
- Effects on depression, coping, self-worth, fatigue and global quality of life were not significant
Limitations
The review does not specify which countries conducted the studies, limiting geographic generalizability. The high heterogeneity in some analyses (I² up to 87.1%) suggests results varied substantially by intervention type and population, and future research needs to clarify optimal timing, dosage, delivery format, and age-specific effects.
Abstract
Purpose To evaluate the impact of psychosocial interventions on health outcomes among children and adolescents (0-19 years) living with cancer across the care continuum, specifically on (1) neurocognitive, (2) psychological, and (3) health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes. Methods Five electronic databases (APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials [CENTRAL]) were searched with no date restrictions, supplemented by backward citation chaining of the reference lists of included studies and relevant systematic reviews. All identified citations were imported into Covidence systematic review software for the removal of duplicate records and the study selection process by two reviewers. Methodological quality and meta-analyses were performed. Results Two thousand nine hundred sixty-one articles were identified, and 34 studies were included. The studies were conducted in 17 countries and representative of 1988 participants. Studies investigating the effects of cognitive interventions demonstrated a significant positive effect on neurocognitive outcomes (SMD: 0.51 [95% CI: 0.32, 0.69]; I2 = 0%, p < 0.01). Play and creative therapies, animal assistance therapy, self-management education, and physical activity were associated with a significant overall improvement in psychological outcomes (SMD: 0.42 [95% CI: 0.17, 0.68]; I2 = 70.1%, p < 0.01). Animal assistance therapy, play and creative therapies, and physical activity interventions led to a significant improvement in quality-of-life outcomes (SMD: 0.80 [95% CI: 0.48, 1.11]; I2 = 87.1%, p < 0.01). Conclusions Psychosocial interventions improved neurocognitive, psychological, and HRQOL outcomes in children and adolescents with cancer, with the most consistent benefits for neurocognition (working memory), anxiety, and pain; effects on depression, coping, self-worth, fatigue and global HRQOL were not significant. Future trials should identify optimal intervention timing, dosage and delivery format, and stratify outcomes by age, diagnosis, and treatment intensity. Implications for cancer survivors These findings suggest the promise of interventions for improving neurocognitive, psychological, and HRQOL outcomes in children and adolescents affected by cancer, while also highlighting substantial evidence gaps, particularly for early targeted approaches in the cancer care continuum.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Psychosocial interventions including cognitive interventions, play and creative therapies, animal assistance therapy, self-management education, and physical activity
- Population
- Children and adolescents aged 0-19 years living with cancer across the care continuum (1,988 participants across 34 studies in 17 countries)
Key finding
Cognitive interventions: significant positive effect on neurocognitive outcomes (SMD 0.51, 95% CI 0.32-0.69)