LeukoKids - Impact of early life stress on health in children with leukaemia - FHSE

The project at a glance

Start date:
01 April 2022
Duration in months:
48
Funding:
IAS Luxembourg
Principal Investigator(s):
Nora NICOLAI

About

Children with leukaemia occurring in early childhood often experience several acute stressors as a consequence of receiving treatment, e.g., chemotherapy and separation from their family, which can be conceptualized as traumatic and stressful events. Previous research has shown that short- and long-term physical and mental health outcomes can be negatively impacted by early life stress (ELS). It remains unclear, however, what changes can be observed in children with early childhood leukaemia at psychological, psychophysiological, molecular and epigenetic levels, and how they are related to each other. The first aim of this project, therefore, concerns the examination of psychological, psychophysiological, molecular and epigenetic processes in the context of adverse life events operationalized as leukaemia in children who receive chemotherapy. To prevent serious negative physical and mental health consequences of experiencing ELS, interventions should be implemented early on for the children concerned. Thus, the project’s second aim is to evaluate the efficacy of a brief psychological intervention to help children with early childhood leukaemia cope with adverse experiences resulting from chemotherapy. The project will be conducted as a longitudinal, clinical, prospective and multicentre study. Semi-structured interviews, self- and parent reports and questionnaires, and cortisol- and blood samples are used to monitor psychological, psychophysiological, molecular and epigenetic variables. In collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, the Luxembourg Institute of Health and hospitals, e.g., Mutterhaus Trier, we intend to advance basic and intervention research to optimize acute treatment and aftercare concepts for children with leukaemia. The expected findings will help to provide essential new insights in research on early life stress in children with severe physical illnesses.

Kinderkrebsinfo