Beliefs about Childhood Cancer: Perceptions of Survivors and Mothers

• Autor(a) principal: Castro, Elisa Kern de
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Peloso, Franciele Cristiane, Vital, Luísa, Armiliato, Maria Júlia
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Psicologia (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie. Online)
• Texto Completo: http://editorarevistas.mackenzie.br/index.php/ptp/article/view/10735
• topic: câncer; câncer em crianças; crenças em saúde; autorregulação; percepção da doença; cáncer em niños; creencias en salud; autorregulación; percepción de la enfermedad; cáncer; cancer; childhood cancer; health beliefs; self-regulation; illness perception

Illness beliefs refers to mental schemes that people construct from their direct or indirect experience. Such beliefs are related to their health behaviour and self-regulation. In childhood cancer survivors, their beliefs help us to understand their behaviour in the follow-up treatment. The purpose was to examine the beliefs about childhood cancer in 27 young adults’ survivors and 49 mothers, who answered sociodemographic and illness perception questionnaires in an online website. Results showed that mothers perceived childhood cancer as chronic disease with cyclical symptoms, with consequences and emotional representations more negative than survivals. Also, mothers reported understanding about the disease and believing in personal and treatment control at a higher level than survivors.  It is concluded that the fact that survivors perceived childhood cancer in a more positive way indicate a new significance and a positive adaptive to experience.