Peer-reviewed article
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Brief Psychoeducational Intervention for Parents of Children with Childhood Cancer.
Eric H Zimak, Lindsey Davis, Jamie A Quattlebaum, Jose Madrid, Amy Cruickshank ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether a one-session online program providing parents of children with cancer information about learning difficulties, school supports, and neuropsychological evaluation was practical and acceptable. Twenty-three parents completed the brief intervention and reported high satisfaction and increased knowledge. The program was delivered by telehealth and completed with good quality, suggesting it could be a useful resource for parents during their child's cancer treatment.
Key points
- Twenty-three parents completed the brief telehealth psychoeducational intervention
- High levels of program satisfaction were reported by parents
- Parents reported perceived increases in knowledge about cognitive and psychological effects of pediatric cancer
- The intervention was completed with high fidelity and was brief in duration
- Authors identified need for a future randomized controlled trial to test whether the intervention improves actual educational and developmental outcomes
Limitations
This study only assessed whether the intervention was feasible and acceptable; it did not measure whether it actually improved children's educational or developmental outcomes or compared the intervention to any control group. The small sample size and lack of comparison group limit conclusions about effectiveness.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Research suggests that many parents desire more information about their child's learning and thinking abilities and possible school supports during their child's cancer treatment. The primary aim of this project was to evaluate whether a brief psychoeducational program to provide this information to parents of children with pediatric cancer was deemed feasible and acceptable. METHODS: During a brief telehealth psychoeducational intervention, parents received information about cognitive and psychological late effects of pediatric cancer, educational supports and resources, and neuropsychological evaluations. Parents completed questionnaires via REDCap, both before and after the intervention. Program evaluation included information about parent-reported satisfaction with the program and initial outcomes (e.g., parent-reported perceived increases in knowledge). RESULTS: The intervention was brief and completed with high fidelity. Twenty-three parents (including three parent dyads) completed the intervention, with high levels of program satisfaction and perceived increase in knowledge reported. DISCUSSION: This one-session psychoeducational telehealth intervention appeared feasible to complete and acceptable to parents. A future randomized controlled trial is needed to determine whether this intervention would be an important component of parental education during their child's cancer treatment and ultimately improve educational and developmental outcomes. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05268315.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- One-session telehealth psychoeducational program providing information about cognitive and psychological late effects of pediatric cancer, educational supports and resources, and neuropsychological evaluations
- Population
- Twenty-three parents (including three parent dyads) of children with pediatric cancer
Key finding
Twenty-three parents completed the intervention
Zimak et al. · PubMed (US National Library of Medicine) · 28 Apr 2026