• My Story [ Time Frame: Week 6 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale [ Time Frame: 0, 6, 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Pediatric Inventory for Parents [ Time Frame: 0, 6, 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults [ Time Frame: 0, 6, 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale [ Time Frame: 0, 6, 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children [ Time Frame: 0, 6, 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Parent Journals [ Time Frame: Weekly for 6 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Child Journals [ Time Frame: Weekly for 6 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

• My Story [ Time Frame: Week 6 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale [ Time Frame: 0, 6, 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Pediatric Inventory for Parents [ Time Frame: 0, 6, 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

The purpose of this study is to determine how parents of children with cancer rate a parent-delivered massage therapy educational program for usability and satisfaction, and if massage therapy, provided by parents to their child with cancer, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in the child, and parenting stress in the parent.

In Canadian children aged 0-19, the number of new cancer cases from 1997-2001 was on average 1,285 children per year for a total of 6,427 children over a five year period. Individual and family responses to a child's or adolescent's cancer diagnosis and treatment include psychological, sociocultural and biological dimensions. Parents of children with cancer can experience severe emotional distress including anxiety and depression. Parents require support and skills to reduce their own anxiety and distress and to help alleviate suffering in their children.

This is a two-phase research project: phase I: development of a standardized educational intervention on video/DVD to teach parents how to massage their child with cancer; phase II: test the feasibility of the developed intervention with children with cancer and their parents. A total of 24 parents and their children with cancer who are under the care of the paediatric oncology units at the Stollery Children's Hospital (Edmonton) will be recruited for the study.

It is hypothesized that this research on an educational program in parent-delivered massage therapy will directly improve the lives of children with cancer and their parents.

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress
• Pediatric Cancers

• Procedure: Massage
• Other: Journaling

• Active Comparator: This group receives the massage intervention for a period of six weeks. Children and parents are asked to journal weekly for the six week period.
• No Intervention: The control group does not receive any massage intervention during the initial six weeks of the study. The children are asked to journal during this six week period.

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• Boman K, Lindahl A, Björk O. Disease-related distress in parents of children with cancer at various stages after the time of diagnosis. Acta Oncol. 2003;42(2):137-46.
• Trask PC, Paterson AG, Trask CL, Bares CB, Birt J, Maan C. Parent and adolescent adjustment to pediatric cancer: associations with coping, social support, and family function. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs. 2003 Jan-Feb;20(1):36-47.
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• Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Deyo RA, Shekelle PG. A review of the evidence for the effectiveness, safety, and cost of acupuncture, massage therapy, and spinal manipulation for back pain. Ann Intern Med. 2003 Jun 3;138(11):898-906. Review.
• Furlan AD, Brosseau L, Imamura M, Irvin E. Massage for low-back pain: a systematic review within the framework of the Cochrane Collaboration Back Review Group. Spine. 2002 Sep 1;27(17):1896-910. Review.
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Inclusion Criteria:

• Children aged 6 to 18 years
• Children with a life expectancy of at least 12 weeks
• Children who are currently receiving active cancer care

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children under the age of 6
• Children with a life expectancy of less than 12 weeks
• Children not currently receiving active cancer care

• SickKids Foundation
• Stollery Children's Hospital
• Canadian Institute of Natural and Integrative Medicine