REDUCING ANXIETY IN CHILDREN UNDERGOING

CHEMOTHERAPY

By: Cindy Andrade

ANXIETY Anxiety is a general term for having

feelings such as nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying.

Children with cancer do not really understand what the condition means in terms of their health and its effects, making them scared and confused when it comes to their treatment.

Chemotherapy Chemo is one of the

most common ways to treat cancer.

It kills numerous cancer cells throughout the body without focusing on a specific area.

Ways to give chemo IV Oral chemotherapy- Pills and liquid

medication. Injections to the muscle(intramuscular)

or under the skin (subcutaneous).

Side effects of Chemotherapy Every patient has different symptoms. Most common symptoms are:

Fatigue Pain Hair loss or hair thinning VomitingConstant nausealoss of appetiteRashes and easy bruising.

Changes As a consequence of all these side

effects, children experience anxiety when they realize what this treatment involves.

The children are affected both physically and mentally.

Social anxiety An anxiety disorder in

which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged, and criticized by others.

Their new physical appearance like hair loss, weight changes, skin rashes, or puffiness provokes feelings of self consciousness and they may start to think that society might not accept them anymore.

Separation Anxiety Occurs when children are used to being

in a safe environment. For example, when it is time for the child

to return to school or go to a place that they are not used to, they develop a sense of anxiety from being apart from the person that protects them.

The uneasy feeling that children get when they see the tools such as needles that are going to be inserted in their arm, makes their next visit to the chemotherapy difficult because they know that the outcome for them is going to be painful.

Therapies and techniques There are different therapies to help the

child reduce their anxiety . Yoga is being used for pediatric patients. Breathing techniques are helpful

because the child can breathe calmly relieving the tension while painful procedures are occurring.

Distraction is always helpful.

Virtual reality Child life specialist Cooking activities and video game

consoles like Wii and Xbox’s are also part of the process of distraction.

Camps are offered to the children.

Project For my project I will gather a group of

friends that want to volunteer at the hospital.

We will go and socialize with the children ; play activities with them and get their minds off what is going on in their life.

Work cited Ahmadi, Michael. "Virtual Reality May Help children

Undergoing Chemotherapy." JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst 93.9 (2001): 675-676. Web. 8 Mar 2012

Aschenbrenner, Martha. E-mail Interview. 11 Feb 2012. Hart, J. "Music Therapy For Children And Adults With Cancer."

Alternative & Complementary Therapies 15.5 (2009): 221-225. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.

McDougal, Sarah. "Children With Cancer; Effects and Educational Implications." Ped-Onc Resource Center. N.p., 1997. Web. 8 Mar 2012.

Moody, Karen, Dina Daswani, Bess Abrahams, and Ruth Santizo. "Yoga for Pain and Anxiety in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Patients." Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology 8.3 (2010): 95-97. Web. 8 Mar 2012.