Barncancer och mental hälsa : En litteraturstudie om hur den mentala hälsan kan främjas under och efter cancerbehandling

• Main Authors: Öberg, Sandra, Sundell, Emma
• Format: Others
• Language: Swedish
• Published: Röda Korsets Högskola 2020
• Subjects: Childhood cancer; healthcare workers; mental health; physical activityand suffering; Barncancer; fysisk aktivitet; mental hälsa; vårdpersonal; Nursing; Omvårdnad
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:rkh:diva-3483

Background: Children who suffer from cancer do not only suffer from a physical illness, they are also affected on a psychological level. There is a great lack of knowledge about how healthcare workers can promote mental health during and after cancer treatment. Studies show that most childhood cancer survivors suffer from extreme fatigue, poorer quality of life, emotional problems such as anxiety and depression but also post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Aim: The aim of this literature study was to investigate how mental health can be promoted during and after cancer treatment. Method: A general literature study with 16 quantitative articles. Results: Promoting mental health can be done in several ways: with physical activity, early detection of emotional symptoms and through alternative treatments. A number of health interventions can also be helpful such as psychological support and hospital clowns but mostly physical activity. Conclusion: There is a lot of health interventions that can promote mental health. Physical activity is the most researched subject that has been shown to have a strong connection to mental health. However, more research is needed on alternative treatments, as they have shown to have a positive effect on mental health.