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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2024; 45(03): 202-209
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1786967
Review Article

The Crucial Role of Psychosocial Research for Patients and Caregivers: A Narrative Review of Pediatric Psycho-Oncology Research in India

Shraddha Namjoshi 
1   Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Sangareddy, Telangana, India
› Author Affiliations Funding The author is supported by the Ministry of Education, Government of India (Doctoral research fellowship).
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Abstract

The focus of pediatric cancer research in India has largely been medical and clinical, with little focus on psycho-oncological aspects. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be life altering for both the patients as well as their families and points to a need for psycho-oncological research. The present narrative review examined original articles on pediatric psycho-oncology research conducted in India particularly in the past two decades. There is promising research in various domains such as survivorship and quality of life, patient needs and psychosocial concerns, communication between health care providers, patients, and caregivers, parent and caregiver needs including psychosocial support and information, as well as some intervention-based studies. With much of the research being conducted within clinical setups through surveys and retrospective data, psychosocial issues faced by patients and their families are discussed along with physical, logistical, and financial concerns, while forays into intervention-based research are still in primary phases but show potential in terms of outcomes and feasibility. There is need for more methodologically rigorous research rooted in strong theoretical foundations, culturally sound models, and with evidence-based examination of all stages and stakeholders involved in providing and receiving care in pediatric cancer.

Keywords

psycho-oncology - pediatric cancer - psychosocial - survivorship - caregivers India


Publication History

Article published online:
04 June 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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