Table 1
Comparison of Answer-Choice Frequency of 3rd to 5th-Grade Students and 6th to 8th-Grade Students.
| QUESTION | 3RD TO 5TH GRADE ANSWER FREQUENCY (%) | 6TH TO 8TH GRADE ANSWER FREQUENCY (%) | P VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| True or false: If you play with a friend with cancer you can get sick with cancer too. [Cancer is contagious] | 0.0036 | ||
| True | 11 (10.09%) | 0 (0.00%) | |
| False | 98 (89.91%) | 79 (100.00%) | |
| True or false: Cancer can happen to anybody. | — | ||
| True | 107 (100.00%) | 79 (100.00%) | |
| False | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | |
| True or false: Everybody who gets cancer will die. | 0.6206 | ||
| True | 5 (4.67%) | 5 (6.33%) | |
| False | 102 (95.33%) | 74 (93.67%) | |
| True or false: Treating cancer is possible but can be hard [difficult]. | 0.3889 | ||
| True | 106 (99.07%) | 79 (100.00%) | |
| False | 1 (0.93%) | 0 (0.00%) | |
| Treating cancer can cause which of these things? | 0.0877 | ||
| Feeling sick or tired | 3 (2.80%) | 1 (1.27%) | |
| Hair loss | 13 (12.15%) | 3 (3.80%) | |
| Weight loss or weight gain | 1 (0.93%) | 0 (0.00%) | |
| Throwing up | 3 (2.80%) | 0 (0.00%) | |
| All of the above | 87 (81.31%) | 75 (94.94%) | |
| What is the best way to treat a friend with cancer? | 0.1090 | ||
| Never talk about the cancer | 3 (2.80%) | 6 (7.59%) | |
| Pretend the cancer is not there and act like nothing is wrong | 18 (16.82%) | 6 (7.59%) | |
| Stay away from the friend, you may get cancer too | 1 (0.93%) | 0 (0.00%) | |
| Visit and play with them often and ask to help | 85 (79.44%) | 67 (84.81%) |
Table 2
Cohen’s Kappa Inter-Rater Reliability Analysis for Student and Patient Arms.
| QUESTION | PERCENT AGREEMENT | KAPPA (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Agreement | 92.40% | 0.91 (0.86, 0.96) |
| Describe Transition Back to School | 85.71% | 0.84 (0.72, 0.96) |
| Describe What Should Be Included in a Program | 100.00% | 1.00 |
| Describe What Should Not Be Included in a Program | 95.24% | 0.93 (0.67, 1.19) |
| 3rd to 5th Grade: Worries/Apprehensions About Friend With Cancer; Friend With Cancer | 87.50% | 0.83 (0.58, 1.00) |
| 3rd to 5th Grade: Worries/Apprehensions About Friend With Cancer; No Friend With Cancer | 95.12% | 0.94 (0.82, 1.05) |
| 6th to 8th Grade: Worries/Apprehensions About Friend With Cancer; Friend With Cancer | 91.30% | 0.89 (0.70, 1.08) |
| 6th to 8th Grade: Worries/Apprehensions About Friend With Cancer; No Friend With Cancer | 88.68% | 0.83 (0.69, 0.97) |
Table 3
Comparison Between Responses of 3rd to 5th Graders With and Without a Friend With Cancer.
| THEME | FRIEND (N = 16) | NO FRIEND (N = 59) | P VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watching them get sick/suffer | 7 (43.75%) | 20 (33.90%) | 0.4654 |
| Not being able to visit/play | 5 (31.25%) | 14 (23.73%) | 0.5419 |
| Worried they might die | 2 (12.50%) | 33 (55.93%) | 0.0002 |
| Make me feel sad | 1 (6.25%) | 5 (8.47%) | 0.7718 |
| Not knowing how to treat them/respond | 1 (6.25%) | 2 (3.39%) | 0.6031 |
Table 4
Comparison Between Responses of 6th to 8th Graders With and Without a Friend With Cancer.
| THEME | FRIEND (N = 19) | NO FRIEND (N = 42) | P VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watching them get sick/suffer | 7 (36.84%) | 10 (23.81%) | 0.6031 |
| Not being able to visit/play | 6 (31.58%) | 5 (11.90%) | 0.0643 |
| Worried they might die | 1 (5.26%) | 29 (69.05%) | <0.0001 |
| Make me feel sad | 2 (10.53%) | 4 (9.52%) | 0.9045 |
| Not knowing how to treat them/respond | 1 (5.26%) | 1 (2.38%) | 0.5552 |
Table 5
Comparison of Age and Frequency of Patient Responses to Reintegration Apprehensions.
| QUESTION | 11 OR YOUNGER (N = 10) | 12 OR OLDER (N = 15) | P VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Going back to school I was worried about … (select all that apply) | |||
| Too much attention from teachers and classmates | 5 (50.00%) | 6 (40.00%) | 0.6217 |
| Not enough attention from teachers and classmates | 1 (10.00%) | 1 (6.67%) | 0.7634 |
| How I looked | 7 (70.00%) | 3 (20.00%) | 0.0124 |
| Not being able to catch up with classwork | 7 (70.00%) | 11 (73.33%) | 0.8557 |
| Being treated differently | 8 (80.00%) | 7 (46.67%) | 0.0956 |
| My classmates not understanding | 3 (30.00%) | 3 (20.00%) | 0.5663 |
| Being sick or tired at school | 6 (60.00%) | 9 (60.00%) | 0.9999 |
| I wasn’t worried | 1 (10.00%) | 2 (13.33%) | 0.8016 |
| Other things | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | — |
Table 6
Frequency of Patient Responses Describing Their Transition Back to School.
| THEME | FREQUENCY (%) (N = 26) |
|---|---|
| Challenging All Around, But Got Better | 2 (7.69%) |
| School Logisticsa | 2 (7.69%) |
| Medically Challengingb | 5 (19.23%) |
| Academically Challengingc | 7 (26.92%) |
| Stigmad | 4 (15.38%) |
| Increased Absenteeism | 2 (7.69%) |
| Challenging All Around | 1 (3.85%) |
| Smooth Transition | 5 (19.23%) |
| Teachers Supportive | 4 (15.38%) |
[i] a Includes meeting with teachers, school coordinating credits/homework.
b Includes side effects from cancer therapy, maintaining focus when ill.
c Includes falling behind in work, difficulty learning lessons, not having enough time to complete work.
d Includes trouble reintegrating with friends, bullying, worry about appearance.
Table 7
Frequency of Patient Responses Describing What Should Be Included in a School Reentry Program.
| THEME | FREQUENCY (%) (N = 29) |
|---|---|
| Meeting with Teachers | 3 (10.34%) |
| School Coordination | 3 (10.34%) |
| Academic Assistancea | 10 (34.48%) |
| Help for Sick Daysb | 1 (3.45%) |
| Encouragement | 1 (3.45%) |
| Support Groups | 6 (20.69%) |
| Educationc | 6 (20.69%) |
| Not Sure | 3 (10.34%) |
[i] a Includes tutoring, one-on-one help, pass/fail, more time for homework.
b Includes rest, time off, back-up plan for parent pick-up.
c Include peer/teacher education about side effects, appearance, and/or communication.
Table 8
Frequency of Patient Responses Describing What Should Not Be Included in a School Reentry Program.
| THEME | FREQUENCY (%) (N = 21) |
|---|---|
| Differ Assistance With Isolating/Differentiating Others | 7 (33.33%) |
| Physical Activity | 1 (4.76%) |
| Not Sure | 10 (47.62%) |
| Exclude Nothing | 1 (4.76%) |
| No Not Do Nothing | 1 (4.76%) |
| Rush Learning/Assignments | 1 (4.76%) |