Self-esteem of acute leukemic children undergoing chemotherapy

Background Acute leukemia is a major malignancy in children. Multiagent chemotherapy protocols are the main treatment option for acute leukemia. Still chemotherapy has a significant effect on children’s well-being, improving the physical, psychological, and social status of children, and also, it has a remarkable effect on self-image and self-esteem. Aim The aim was to assess self-esteem of acute leukemic children undergoing chemotherapy. Patients and methods A descriptive exploratory research design was used. The study was conducted at two pediatric oncology outpatient clinics at Tanta Cancer Center and National Cancer Institute at Cairo University. A purposive sample of 80 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia was recruited. Their ages were between 10 and 16 years old. A structured interview questionnaire and Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory were used, and IRB approval was obtained from the National Cancer Institute for performing this study. Results The age of half of the children (50%) ranged between 14 and 16 years, with mean±SD age of 13.21±1.62 years. Overall, 61.3% were males. Less than half of the children (47.5%) received intravenous chemotherapy, whereas 46.2% of the children had both oral and intravenous chemotherapy. More than half of the children (62.5%) had low self-esteem regarding general self, whereas the vast majority of children (90%) had low self-esteem regarding their social self-peers. All children had low self-esteem toward their home parents, whereas the highest percent (98.8%) of children had low self-esteem regarding their school academic. The vast majority children (98.8%) had low self-esteem regarding the lie scale. All dimensions of self-esteem were significantly correlated with total score of self-esteem. Conclusion Children with acute leukemia undergoing chemotherapy had low self-esteem regarding general self, home parents, school academic, and social peers. Self-esteem was negatively affected among school age and adolescent children with acute leukemia who underwent chemotherapy. Regarding the lie domain, most children always told the truth. Recommendations Training programs should be designed and constructed for nurses in how to assess self-esteem for children with acute leukemia. Empowerment program should be directed to children with acute leukemia and their caregivers to improve their self-esteem.