Evaluation of a psycho-educational group intervention for children treated for cancer: a descriptive pilot study

Objective: The present paper reports about the content and evaluation of a psycho-educational group intervention for children growing up with a history of cancer, Op Koers Oncologie (OK Onco). OK Onco is aimed at empowerment of survivors of childhood cancer by teaching disease-related skills. The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate whether OK Onco was appropriate for use among paediatric survivors of childhood cancer. Methods: Eleven participating children and their parents completed questionnaires about the disease-related skills that were taught in the intervention, before the intervention and 0-4 weeks after the intervention. In addition, parents were interviewed in focus groups. Results: Positive outcomes were found on most items concerning disease-related skills. Remarkable improvements were found with respect to the intervention goals 'social competence' and 'positive thinking'. The parents reported that sharing emotions and experiences with other survivors of childhood cancer was an important element of the OK Onco program, which underscores the benefit of a disease-specific program for cancer survivors. Conclusions: In conclusion, the results of the pilot study indicate that OK Onco is appropriate for paediatric survivors of childhood cancer. Implementation of the intervention is the next challenge. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.