Social exclusion and behavior problems in adolescents with cancer and healthy counterparts

• Published in: Journal of pediatric nursing 2022-05, Vol.64, p.e95-e101
• Main Authors: Efe, Yağmur Sezer, Özbey, Harun, Caner, Nuray, Erdem, Emine, Kuzucu, Emine Gül, Karakükçü, Musa, Patıroğlu, Türkan, Ünal, Ekrem, Yılmaz, Ebru, Özcan, Alper
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents with cancer; Externalizing behavior; Internalizing problems; Nursing; Ostracism
• ISSN: 0882-5963; 1532-8449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2021.12.023

This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine social exclusion, internalized and externalized behavioral problems in adolescents with cancer and to compare them with healthy counterparts. The sample consisted of adolescents age 10–19 years (N = 70) followed up in the hemato-oncology outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital and healthy adolescents age 10–19 years (N = 92) who were studying in secondary and high schools. The data were collected with a questionnaire for adolescents with cancer and healthy adolescents, The Ostracism Experience Scale for Adolescents (OES-A), Youth Externalizing Behavior Screener (YEBS), and Youth Internalizing Problems Screener (YIPS). The OES-A mean scores of cancer and healthy adolescents in the study were 35.68 ± 9.38 and 27.64 ± 5.35 (p ≤ 0.001), the YEBS mean scores were 23.51 ± 4.88 and 20.52 ± 5.42 (p ≤ 0.001), and the YIPS mean scores were 21.72 ± 6.48 and 19.18 ± 7.60 (p = 0.007), respectively. There was a low-level positive correlation between the mean scores of the OES-A and YEBS (r = 0.345, p