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School performance of childhood cancer survivors in Korea: A multi‐institutional study on behalf of the Korean Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
Author(s) -
Park Meerim,
Park Hyeon Jin,
Lee Jae Min,
Ju Hee Young,
Park Byung Kiu,
Yu EunSeung,
Yang HyungKook,
Kim Ji Yoon,
Park Sang Kyu,
Lee Young Ho,
Shim Ye Jee,
Kim Heung Sik,
Lee Jun Ah,
Lim YeonJung,
Cheuh Hee Won,
Park Ji Kyoung,
Lee Mee Jeong,
Kim Soon Ki,
Choi Hyoung Soo,
Hah Jeong Ok,
Park Kyung Duk,
Kang Hyoung Jin,
Shin Hee Young
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.4819
Subject(s) - attendance , medicine , academic achievement , pediatrics , family medicine , psychology , developmental psychology , economics , economic growth
Objective To investigate school performance of childhood cancer survivors focusing on the child's functioning, including peer relationships, school attendance, and academic achievement. Methods We studied 241 children from 15 institutions in Korea between 2015 and 2016. The self‐reported paper‐and‐pencil questionnaires were used. Results Approximately 22% of the survivors suffered from lack of friends. Bullying was reported by 30% of survivors. Survivors who returned to primary school reported a higher incidence of bullying compared with survivors who returned to middle or high school ( P = 0.03). The percentage of children who missed classes more than 4 days in a month was higher in survivors with brain tumors than those with other tumors ( P = 0.04). Approximately 41% of children reported learning difficulty. After returning to school, 53% of the patients reported that they had lower overall mark averages than they had before. Patients who returned to high school showed the highest rate of repeating a grade and the lowest rate of achieving high academic marks. The school marks in the Korean ( P = 0.03), English ( P = 0.04), and physical education ( P = 0.04) were worse for the children with brain tumors than for the children with other tumors. Conclusion We found that 20% to 25% of survivors experienced peer‐related difficulties upon returning to school. Patients who return to school, especially high school, should be provided more educational support to overcome low academic achievement. Particular concern is needed to the patients with brain tumors, who are at risk for significant academic and social difficulties and therefore may require more intensive support in school.