Using a dyadic approach to explore parental support for physical activity among young cancer survivors

Factors That Influence Physical Activity Behavior in Children and Adolescents During and After Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Systematic Review of the Literature

PURPOSE

The aim of this systematic review is to reveal the social, personal, and contextual factors that influence physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents during and after cancer treatment.

METHOD

SPORTDiscus, Cochrane, Web of Science, PubMed, and FIS Education electronic database were systematically searched.

RESULTS

The 13 included studies show that social support (parents, siblings, and friends) in particular is rated as important by cancer survivors; for example, doing PA together. Depending on the treatment status and state of health, particularities arise. During the acute treatment phase, parents issued more prohibitions regarding PA than after treatment. The state of health and concern about infections are described as inhibiting factors. Not all hospitals generally offer special exercise programs for cancer patients, and in some cases, only sporadic exercise sessions were conducted by specialized staff. In addition, the hospital atmosphere, such as cramped rooms, tends to be associated with demotivating effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Both inhibiting and promoting factors in the area of social, personal, and contextual factors could be identified. The most fundamental factor for PA is the physical condition. Social factors, such as parents or friends, often have a motivating effect and can promote PA. Inhibiting factors are mainly context-related, such as an environment unsuitable for PA. Although the review highlights interesting aspects, further treatment-related and longitudinal studies could provide deeper insights.

Barriers and facilitators to physical activity participation for child, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors: a systematic review

PURPOSE

The aim of this systematic review is to explore and describe the barriers and facilitators to physical activity (PA) participation for child, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched for manuscripts published between January 2000 and February 2021. To be included in this review, studies had to report qualitative or quantitative data on barriers and facilitators to PA participation in child (4 to < 10 years), adolescent (10 to 19 years), and young adult (> 19 to < 40 years) cancer survivors. Six independent reviewers assessed methodological quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT-version 18) in duplicate.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies were included in this systematic review. Fatigue and psychological factors were the most prevalent barriers shared between children, adolescents, and young adults. Support from others was a shared facilitator between age groups.

CONCLUSION

Psychological barriers and social support are important to address in younger cancer survivors. Clinicians can use these findings to create exercise interventions to facilitate and overcome barriers to PA participation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

While PA is beneficial for cancer survivors of all ages, different barriers and facilitators to PA participation exist depending on a survivors age and life stage. Survivors should discuss PA with their healthcare team at all timepoints in the cancer treatment trajectory in order to gain the associated benefits during and after treatment.

Parental involvement affects parent-adolescents brain-to-brain synchrony when experiencing different emotions together: An EEG-based hyperscanning study

Parental involvement (PI) is a broad and multifaceted construct, which refers to the parental demonstration of interest in their child, caring, and warmth (Davis et al., 2021). Parental involvement affects parent-adolescent's relationship and communication. However, there was little research to examine the underlying neural mechanism. The present study aimed to explore how parental involvement is associated with the brain-to-brain synchronous activation between parent-adolescent dyads when sharing emotional experience together by using the electroencephalograph (EEG) hyperscanning. EEG was recorded simultaneously in a sample of 26 parent-adolescent dyads (Mparents'age=43.312, SD=5.468; Madolescents' age=12.077, SD=1.412) when completing the picture processing task. Phase locking values (PLVs) in beta band and gamma band were used to compare the differences in the parent-adolescent dyads' induced brain-to-brain synchrony between the high parental involvement group (HPI) and the low parental involvement group (LPI). Results showed that greater beta brain-to-brain synchrony was observed in the HPIs than in the LPIs when experiencing positive emotions together in the central region. However, there was no significant difference between the HPIs and the LPIs in the negative and neutral condition. Moreover, greater gamma brain-to-brain synchrony was observed when viewing negative emotional stimuli together than viewing positive emotional stimuli together in the LPIs in the central region. However, there was no significant difference between different emotional conditions in the HPIs. Findings of the present study provide neuroscientific evidence that parental involvement may strengthen parent-adolescent's emotional interaction and communication.

The experience of albinism in France: a qualitative study on dyads of parents and their adult child with albinism

BACKGROUND

To date, almost no research on the psychosocial implications of albinism has been conducted in France and an exploration of albinism-related experiences could be beneficial, in order to better understand this condition. The aim of this study was to examine how French people with albinism and their parents live with and adapt to this condition in all the areas of their lives.

METHODS

Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with 9 parent-child dyads, each participating separately. Participants were recruited by convenience sampling, thanks to the combined efforts of a patient association (Genespoir) and professionals from the partner medical referral centers involved in the project. Dyads in which the individual with albinism had any comorbidity were excluded. The interviews were then transcribed and subjected to in-depth thematic analysis. Two codebooks were constructed in a mirrored process: one for people with albinism; the other for their parents. They were finally merged at the end of the coding step.

RESULTS

Four main categories were identified: personal perceptions and social representations of albinism, difficulties and obstacles encountered by people with albinism, resources and facilitators, and the importance of parent-child functioning. The results indicated that experiences of stigmatization during childhood and adolescence are common and that people with albinism face challenges in adapting to certain obstacles related to their visual impairments (VI) (e.g., inability to drive a car; eye strain...). Parents emerged as one, if not as the main, source of support for people with albinism throughout their development. Although external support systems exist to assist them in various aspects of their lives, some of them primarily rely on their own personal resources to cope.

CONCLUSIONS

This research highlights the importance of a systemic and transdisciplinary approach to make sure families receive the support that best meets their needs.

Childhood cancer survivors' perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to physical activity: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative evidence using the Theoretical Domains Framework

AbstractDue to the potential for late adverse effects of treatment, and in particular cardiovascular problems, physical activity (PA) is recommended for childhood cancer survivors (CCSs). However, many CCSs have low levels of activity. This review aimed to systematically identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative research evidence on the barriers and facilitators to PA from the perspective of CCSs. Six databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus) were searched from inception to February 2021 to identify qualitative data on PA gathered from CCSs diagnosed ≤18 years of age, and who had completed active treatment. Two reviewers screened for eligibility and assessed methodological quality using CASP. An inductive thematic synthesis was undertaken to identify descriptive themes relating to barriers and facilitators to PA, before mapping these onto the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Confidence in review findings was assessed using the GRADE-CERQual approach. Eight original studies including 126 CCSs were eligible. A total of 45 descriptive themes (29 facilitators and 16 barriers) were mapped onto nine domains of the TDF; they were most commonly mapped onto the Environmental Context and Resources (n = 13 descriptive themes) and the Social Influences (n = 13) domains. Between two and four descriptive themes were mapped onto each of the remaining seven domains. Study quality was variable and overall confidence in review findings was low. Although a range of perceived influences on PA were identified, few studies were eligible, and fewer focused specifically on identifying the barriers and facilitators to PA. These findings provide a first step required for the development of PA interventions for CCSs. However, conclusive/strong evidence for the barriers and facilitators to PA is lacking highlighting the need for further research on the perceived influences on PA in CCSs. PROSPERO Registration: CRD42019147829.

Experiences of cancer rehabilitation among patients in rural areas in northern Iceland: physical and psychosocial well-being, coping, quality of life, and satisfaction with care. A qualitative study

Physical rehabilitation and psychosocial support are a part of cancer patients well-being and their ability to cope. Physical geography and healthcare provider barriers may have negative influences on patients' health outcomes. To explore the perceptions and experiences of cancer rehabilitation in a rural area in northern Iceland. A further aim was to explore patients' physical and psychosocial well-being, coping and satisfaction with care. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was completed with a purposive sample of 21 patients at a tertiary hospital in northern Iceland. Three main themes emerged: 1) Rehabilitation - the need for improved access support and continuity; 2) Coping and quality of life - balancing life as it was before cancer against the present situation in order to achieve normality; 3) Satisfaction - encountering caring behaviours enhances satisfaction and well-being. Specifically targeted rehabilitation programmes need to be included in the treatment options for cancer patients. Survival instinct, coping mechanisms and a strong urge to maintain general functionality are of paramount importance intertwined with patients' ability to cope with the disease and treatment, and their satisfaction with care.