Exploring the role of pain on physical activity among youth with acute lymphoblastic leukemia using the biopsychosocial model.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2024

Identifier

DOI: 10.1002/pbc.31276

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Engaging in physical activity (PA) throughout cancer treatment offers many benefits, but may be challenging due to cancer-related pain. Pain research in pediatric cancer has primarily focused on procedural pain, with fewer studies exploring how pain affects PA. The current study qualitatively investigated the impact of pain on PA in youth with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using a biopsychosocial framework.

PROCEDURE: As part of a larger study, caregivers (N = 17) of a child diagnosed with ALL and on treatment for less than 1 year completed a semi-structured interview about perceptions of their child's health behaviors during ALL treatment. This secondary analysis focused specifically on discussions about pain and its impact on PA. We followed Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-step thematic analysis framework to identify themes of pain-related barriers to PA.

RESULTS: Key pain-related barriers endorsed by caregivers included: interactions among pain and treatment effects, caregiver distress around seeing their child in pain, and fear of interfering with medical equipment. Despite these barriers, caregivers found creative solutions to adapt activities for their child. Caregivers were reassured by PA advice from their medical team; however, advice varied between teams.

CONCLUSION: The relationship between pain and PA during ALL treatment is influenced by an intricate system of biological (e.g., treatment effects), psychological (e.g., parental distress), and social (e.g., communication among families and medical teams) factors. Future directions include identifying evidence-based PA recommendations and exploring family-team communication dynamics. This study also highlights a need to prioritize ALL pain management and involve caregivers in behavioral treatment protocols to improve PA.

Journal Title

Pediatric blood & cancer

Volume

71

Issue

11

First Page

31276

Last Page

31276

MeSH Keywords

Humans; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Female; Male; Exercise; Adolescent; Child; Models, Biopsychosocial; Caregivers; Cancer Pain; Pain; Adult

Keywords

acute lymphoblastic leukemia; family dynamics; pain; physical activity; qualitative

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