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Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access published online on April 2, 2009
Journal of Pediatric Psychology, doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsp021
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Children's Response to Serious Illness: Perceptions of Benefit and Burden in a Pediatric Cancer Population

Joseph M. Currier, MS1,2, Susan Hermes, PhD2 and Sean Phipps, PhD2

1Department of Psychology, University of Memphis and 2Division of Behavioral Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sean Phipps, PhD, Member, Division of Behavioral Medicine, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 332 N. Lauderdale, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. E-mail: sean.phipps{at}stjude.org


  Abstract

Objective To examine a revised measure of benefit finding for children, in relation to perceptions of illness-related burden, and other measures of child psychological functioning. Methods A sample of 78 children with cancer completed the newly revised Benefit/Burden Scale for Children (BBSC) and measures of optimism/pessimism, positive/negative affect, anxiety and defensiveness. Results Factor analysis of the BBSC revealed a clear two-factor solution, with benefit finding and illness-related burden representing orthogonal factors. Both scales were internally consistent and demonstrated different patterns of correlation with the other measures assessed in the study. Conclusion The BBSC is internally reliable and preliminary data supports the validity of separate benefit and burden constructs. Children report positive and negative aspects of their illness simultaneously, and perceptions of benefit and burden function as independent constructs. The BBSC is a useful measure for pediatric cancer patients that could be applied to children experiencing other significant life events.

Key words: benefit finding; burden of illness; childhood cancer; optimism; positive affect..

Received September 16, 2008; revision received March 3, 2009; accepted March 4, 2009


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