Effectiveness of Psychosocial Interventions for Parents of Children With Cancer Receiving Active Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Aims And Objectives: To synthesise the effects of psychosocial interventions compared with standard care in improving psychosocial outcomes of parents of children with cancer receiving active treatment.

Design: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis that was conducted and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.

Methods: All randomised controlled trials examining the effects of psychosocial interventions for parents of children with cancer were considered eligible. All identified articles were imported into Endnote X9. Two independent authors conducted study selection and data extraction. Risk-of-Bias version 2 and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach were used to evaluate the methodological quality and overall quality of the evidence, respectively. Review Manager 5.4.1 software was used for data analysis, and sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted to examine heterogeneity, if applicable.

Data Sources: Seven databases, including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, CINAHL and ProQuest, were searched up to 6 December 2023.

Results: Sixteen studies involving 1379 participants were included in the systematic review, with 12 studies pooled for meta-analysis. Psychosocial intervention was effective in anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms among parents of children with cancer. No significant differences were observed in parental stress and quality of life between psychosocial intervention and control groups.

Conclusion: This study showed that psychosocial intervention was beneficial for decreasing anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms of parents of children with cancer. Future trials with a more robust methodology are needed to augment current findings.

Relevance To Clinical Practice: As our systematic review showed that psychosocial interventions were effective in decreasing anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms among parents of children with cancer, healthcare professionals could consider integrating psychosocial support for these parents.

Patient Or Public Contribution: This systematic review had no patient or public contribution.

Trial And Protocol Registration: This review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022384452) on 29 December 2022. (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=384452).