Apoio social e qualidade de vida de crianças e adolescentes com câncer em Juiz de Fora - MG

Abstract

Cancer is currently one of the leading causes of death in children worldwide and, in Brazil, it is the leading cause of death by disease among children and adolescents aged between 1 and 19. However, there are few studies on the subject in Brazil, especially in relation to social support and quality of life. Objective: To assess social support and quality of life in children and adolescents with cancer who are being treated or monitored at a referral centre in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study in which the study population was made up of children and adolescents aged between 2 and 18 with malignant neoplasms who were being treated or monitored at a public sector referral centre and their main family carer. Clinical and sociodemographic data, social support and health-related quality of life were analysed. The following questionnaires were used for data collection: sociodemographic/clinical, Medical Outcomes Study - Social Support Scale (MOS-SSS) and Paediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM 3.0, Cancer Module (PedsQLTM 3.0). Results and discussion: 51 children and adolescents were investigated, with an average age of 9.78 years for the patients, ranging from 2 to 17 years, and an average age of 39.31 years for the carers, ranging from 26 to 75 years. All the participants came from the Unified Health System (SUS). The majority of patients were male (54.9%) and the most representative age group was 8 to 12 years old (43.1%). The most prevalent type of cancer was leukaemia (47.1%). Chemotherapy was the most common treatment (94.1%). The analysis of quality of life and social support revealed significant correlations between various dimensions, with the correlation between Informational and Emotional Support of Social Support and the dimensions Communication and Anxiety in the Face of Procedures of Quality of Life standing out. The overall Quality of Life and Social Support scores showed a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.312, p <0.05). Conclusion: The study population was diverse in terms of age, type of cancer and treatment. Significant correlations were found between different dimensions of Social Support and Quality of Life, signalling the importance of social support in relation to the quality of life of children and adolescents with cancer and highlighting the need for a multidimensional approach to patients and their families in this context.