Evaluation of anxiety in children with acute leukemia: A prospective study of 20 cases

Introduction The occurrence of acute leukemia (AL) in childhood causes a profound upheaval in the child itself and also within his family. Exposure to this test could contribute to the emergence of anxiety. Objective Our work aims to describe the characteristics of anxiety in this population during the management of the AL. Patients and methods Our study, still in progress, is prospective and conducted among 20 children hospitalised in hematology department of UMC Hedi Chaker Sfax (Tunisia) during the year 2015–2016. It is performed in two times. The anxiety was assessed using the STAI scale. Preliminary results The average age of our population is 7 years (minimum age = 4 years, maximum age = 11 years). The majority of our patients come from urban areas (76.9% of cases). About their sibling rank, they are mostly the youngest in 53.8% of cases, the oldest in 30.8% of cases and juniors in 7.7% of cases. The most common diagnosis is the lymphoblastic B AL (46.2% of cases). Referring to the STAI scale, 30% of our patients were anxious and had high scores during the first evaluation. Then, the anxiety level attenuates gradually during management period and only 15% were anxious at the 2nd evaluation time. Conclusion Several factors such as hospitalisation, diagnosis announcement and cancer treatment contribute to the triggering and maintaining of anxiety. Early detection of anxiety and the good listening between the care team and the parents could appease the high level of anxiety and ensure better management.