Symptom Distress in Children With Cancer: The Need to Adopt a Meaning-Centered Approach

Abstract

Children with cancer experience many symptoms during the course of their illness trajectory. However, to date, research capturing the total symptom experience in this population and the language used by children to express distress is lacking. This article reviews the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of symptom distress in children with cancer including discussion related to (1) medical procedures, (2) cancer treatment, and (3) children's adjustment to cancer. Recommendations for research and practice that will provide a foundation for understanding children's experience with symptom distress are also included. Most salient of those recommendations is to adopt a meaning-centered approach to guide research and practice. This includes capturing the meanings and feelings children assign to the symptoms they experience throughout the whole illness trajectory.