PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

V Kemp

Publications and source records attributed to V Kemp.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

The relationship of illness longevity and relapse with self-perception, cancer stressors, anxiety, and coping strategies in children with cancer.

A descriptive, correlational design was used to investigate the relationship of the longevity of the cancer experience and the presence of a relapse to the child's self-perception, cancer stressors, anxiety, and use of coping strategies. The 44 children included in this study were 6 1/2 to 13 1/2 years of age. Fifteen of the children had experienced a relapse of the disease either on or off therapy. The longevity of the cancer treatment and the presence of a relapse were negatively associated with the child's self-perception. Trait anxiety was positively associated with duration of the cancer experience and with the presence of a relapse. Longevity of the cancer experience and the presence of a relapse may be factors that signal the need for interventions designed to enhance the child's self-perception throughout treatment. Because children in this study who reported lower self-perception and higher trait anxiety levels also reported experiencing more cancer stressors, nursing efforts to develop innovative strategies designed to enhance patients' feelings of self-worth and decrease their anxiety may prove to be important contributions to the care of children receiving treatment for cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Cancer stressors and protective factors: predictors of stress experienced during treatment for childhood cancer.

Perceptions of cancer stressors and protective factors are predictors of stress experienced during treatment for childhood cancer were assessed in this study. Cancer stressors were the type of treatment received during two clinic visits and the child's perception of the cancer experience. Protective factors were self-perception, coping strategies, perceived social support, and family environment. The child's responses to stressors were assessed by epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol levels of urine, and measures of state anxiety. Forty-four children between 6 1/2 and 13 1/2 years of age receiving treatment for cancer were evaluated during two clinic visits. Epinephrine was elevated for children during both clinic visits, while norepinephrine and cortisol remained normal. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that the family environment and global self-worth were the best predictors of epinephrine levels, while social support from friends predicted norepinephrine levels. The family environment and social support from teachers predicted state anxiety.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Life change events and coping behaviors in families of children with cancer.

This study investigated life change events and coping behaviors in families of children with cancer compared with those who have physically healthy children. The sample consisted of 21 families with a child with cancer and 17 families with physically healthy children. All the children in the study were 6 to 12 years of age. Parents from each group completed items from the Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes and the Family Crisis Oriented Evaluation Scales. These tools evaluate stressful life change events experienced by families within a 12-month period and coping behaviors used by families during difficult situations. Families with a child who has cancer experienced significantly more stressful life change events (t = 2.15, P = 0.04) than those with physically healthy children. There were no significant differences (t = 0.23, P = 0.82) in the coping behaviors that were used by the two groups. The results provided a clearer understanding of stressful life change events that impact families with a child with cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A theoretical model for smoking prevention studies in preteen children.

The age of the onset of smoking is on a continual decline, with the prime age of tobacco use initiation being 12-14 years. A weakness of the limited research conducted on smoking prevention programs designed for preteen children (ages 10-12) is a well-defined theoretical basis. A theoretical perspective is needed in order to make a meaningful transition from empirical analysis to application of knowledge. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (1977, 1986), the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980), and other literature linking various concepts to smoking behaviors in preteens were used to develop a model that may be useful for smoking prevention studies in preteen children.

Adolescent↗