Effects of a high-intensity psychosocial intervention among child-parent units in pediatric oncology

Aim: To compare the efficacy of a high-intensity psychosocial intervention with standardized usual care in countering psychosocial complexity among child-parent units in a pediatric oncology setting. Methods: Two hundred pediatric oncology patients and their parents were recruited from Italian hospitals. A total of 81 child-parent units were assigned to the high-intensity psychosocial intervention and 119 child-parent units to standardized usual care. Psychosocial factors were assessed before and 1 year after intervention to measure efficacy. Results: More improvements over time were observed in the high-intensity intervention group of child-parent units compared to the standard intervention group. Conclusion: An intensive, structured, and tailored high-intensity intervention positively affects the psychosocial factors of child-parent units. Patients and families should have access to intensive psychosocial support throughout the cancer trajectory.