Advisory Committee Chair
Sylvie Mrug
Advisory Committee Members
Margaux Barnes
Wendy Landier
Avi Madan-Swain
Brandon G Rocque
David C Schwebel
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2019
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Benign pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors treated with surgery alone have been considered relatively harmless to long-term health. However, a developing line of research has identified several late effects experienced in this population including psychological, adaptive, behavioral, neurological, and cognitive problems. Quality of life of children after resection alone has not previously been evaluated, especially in comparison to that of healthy children and children with chronic illness. Further, there has been no research geared toward developing psychosocial programs to address the late effects identified in this population. The following manuscripts contribute to the literature by evaluating and providing potential explanations for difficulties experienced by children treated with surgery alone for a benign CNS tumor. The first paper explores quality of life and mental health outcomes in a sample of children in long-term follow-up after resection of benign CNS tumors and compares outcomes to those of previously published samples of healthy children and children with chronic illness. The second evaluates predictors of quality of life and factors that may influence school performance. Finally, the third paper evaluates psychosocial services received by this population in a tertiary children’s hospital and how receipt of those services relates to family psychosocial risk as well as relevant demographic and medical characteristics.
Recommended Citation
Cutillo, Alexandra, "Quality of Life and Mental Health after Pediatric Central Nervous System Tumor Treated with Surgery Only" (2019). All ETDs from UAB. 1455.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/1455