Project 457522

BACKGROUND: Over 30,000 childhood cancer survivors live in Canada today, but two-thirds will experience long-term side-effects of their toxic treatments, like chronic pain. This is concerning because youth with chronic pain report more worries, depressed mood, and difficulty sleeping. Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons for seeking healthcare, costing the Canadian healthcare system $60 billion per year. An online program called Web-based Management of Adolescent Pain (WebMAP) has been shown to improve pain in youth but has not been tested in survivors of childhood cancer, who may have pain from their cancer or its treatments. In this study we aim to see if WebMAP can be used for survivors and whether it will help to improve pain, mood, worries and sleep. METHODS: We will invite 38 survivors of childhood cancer and their parents from the Alberta Children's Hospital to participate. We are looking for survivors who: 1) are 11-17 years old, 2) have chronic pain, and 3) have computer access. Survivors will be asked questions about their pain, worries, mood, and sleep. Parents will be asked how they feel about and respond to their child's pain. Then, survivors and parents will complete WebMAP over the course of 8 weeks. After they finish WebMAP, they will be asked the same questions again. We will record how many survivors completed WebMAP and if they like WebMAP for the treatment of their pain. Finally, we will interview survivors after they finish WebMAP to get more feedback on the intervention. IMPACT: Pain can be extremely distressing and it is important to help survivors of childhood cancer improve their pain. This treatment might also be successful in improving other distressing symptoms like worries, depressed mood, and difficulty sleeping. Demonstrating that survivors of childhood cancer like WebMAP and find it helpful in managing their pain will be an important step toward improving the quality of life for this vulnerable population.