The Concept of Suffering in Children and Adolescents With Cancer

Abstract

Survival rates for childhood cancer have increased over the past 2 decades, due in large part to the increase in the intensity and complexity of the treatment modalities used. We can presume that this increase in intensity has produced increased distress or suffering (physical, psychological, social, and spiritual) in the child or adolescent undergoing these therapies for cancer. However, measurement of suffering is more than symptom occurrence, frequency, duration, and severity. An analysis of the concept of suffering is presented. Suffering needs to be defined and measured by self-report (as opposed to parent or staff report) to gain an accurate, complete holistic picture of the nature and scope of the child’s and adolescent’s suffering. Knowledge of how children and adolescents experience suffering would enable practitioners to design interventions to prevent or ameliorate this suffering.