Parenting Skills Intervention in Improving Medication Adherence in Pediatric Cancer Patients

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To pilot test a novel parenting intervention. II. To examine the feasibility and
preliminary efficacy of the parenting intervention on child medication adherence among
children who are experiencing an illness.

OUTLINE: Participants with poor medication adherence are randomized to 1 of 3 groups.

EARLY GROUP: Participants continue medication adherence monitoring over 1 week and then
receive parental skills intervention sessions consisting of 4 integrated components: creating
consistent medication routines, education in child management strategies, strategies for
helping children adhere to medication, and training in specific parental behavioral
techniques over 30 minutes weekly for 4 weeks.

DELAYED GROUP: Participants continue medication adherence monitoring over 2 weeks and then
receive parental skills intervention sessions consisting of 4 integrated components: creating
consistent medication routines, education in child management strategies, strategies for
helping children adhere to medication, and training in specific parental behavioral
techniques over 30 minutes weekly for 4 weeks.

LATE GROUP: Participants continue medication adherence monitoring over 3 weeks and then
receive parental skills intervention sessions consisting of 4 integrated components: creating
consistent medication routines, education in child management strategies, strategies for
helping children adhere to medication, and training in specific parental behavioral
techniques over 30 minutes weekly for 4 weeks.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Be a parent of a child (2 to 10 years old) with any hematology or oncology diagnosis
who is receiving treatment at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. We define
parents as biological parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, stepparents, and
legal guardians

- Parent must have primary medication responsibility

- The child?s treatment must include home-based daily oral medication

- Parent must have verbal English fluency

- Participant or legal representative must understand the investigational nature of this
study and sign an Independent Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board approved
written informed consent form prior to receiving any study related procedure

Exclusion Criteria:

- Be a parent of a pediatric patient with any hematology or oncology diagnosis who is
receiving treatment at Roswell Park and is < 2 or > 10 years old

- Parent does not have primary medication responsibility

- Child?s treatment does not include home-based daily oral medication

- Parent does not have verbal English fluency

- If unable to consent or a prisoner

- Unwilling or unable to follow protocol requirements

- Any condition which in the investigator?s opinion deems the participant an unsuitable
candidate to receive study intervention