Study of @neWorld: A Virtual Community for Children With Cancer

Overview

RATIONALE: Using an Internet Web site that enables children with cancer to interact online with classmates, participate in classroom activities, get easy-to-read medical information, and chat with family members, medical staff, and other children with cancer may help children cope with isolation, fear, and decreased self-esteem. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the effectiveness of an Internet Web site in providing social support and education to children who are undergoing treatment for cancer.

OBJECTIVES: * Develop an Internet-based application that allows pediatric patients with cancer to enter a virtual community with the following capabilities: * Interact with classmates and participate in classroom activities via e-mail, chat groups, online field trips, art studio, music room, and game room * Identify and interact with a community of peers with similar medical conditions * Access a dictionary to get medical information in understandable terms * Interact with the medical community online * Interact with family members online * Determine the acceptability of this program among groups of these patients and their classmates, teachers, family members, and healthcare providers using focus groups. * Determine the effect of this program on self-esteem, coping behaviors, perceived social support, cancer-relevant medical knowledge, and feelings of control over health destiny in these patients. * Determine the effect of this program on the performance of these patients in school. * Determine the effect of this program in alleviating psychological distress in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. * Phase I: Students, family members, teachers, and health providers participate in focus groups to provide system design and implementation input and to assess overall acceptability of a prototype Internet-based application for pediatric cancer patients. * Phase II: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 groups, based on participating center. * Group 1: Patients have access to and utilize the Internet-based application @neWorld. * Group 2: Patients do not have access to or utilize @neWorld. In both groups, patients complete questionnaires measuring psychological distress, quality of life, self-esteem, coping behaviors, perceived academic and social competence, perceived social support, cancer-relevant medical knowledge, feelings of control over health destiny, utilization of psychological services, and performance in school at baseline and 3 and 6 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 94 patients (44 for group 1 and 50 for group 2) will be accrued for this study.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)