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eHealth support may reduce depression in parents of children with cancer

Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing (PubMed)Aug 11, 2026

AI-summarized from the linked source. Educational brief, not medical advice.

Brief summary

A meta-analysis of randomized trials found moderate-certainty evidence that eHealth interventions may reduce depression among parents of children with cancer, while evidence for anxiety, quality of life, and post-traumatic stress symptoms remained very uncertain.

What NurseJet pulled from the source

Thirteen randomized trials involving 1,022 parents were included. The pooled depression effect favored eHealth support (SMD -0.56; 95% CI -0.76 to -0.36), but certainty for the other outcomes was very low.

Why this matters for nurses

Parents navigating childhood cancer may need ongoing psychosocial support outside clinical visits. Digital options may extend access, but the evidence is most credible for depressive symptoms and should not be generalized to every outcome.

Bedside takeaway

Digital caregiver support may help depressive symptoms, but broader psychosocial benefits remain uncertain.

Key takeaways

  • The pooled anxiety estimate favored eHealth interventions, but heterogeneity was high and certainty was very low.
  • Quality of life did not improve significantly in the pooled analysis.
  • The post-traumatic stress estimate was not stable in sensitivity analysis.

Practice implications

  • Screen caregiver distress within the established oncology pathway, explain available digital support without presenting it as a replacement for clinical care, and escalate urgent mental-health concerns through local protocols.

Limitations & cautions

  • Abstract-only summary. Evidence certainty was moderate only for depression and very low for anxiety, quality of life, and post-traumatic stress symptoms; intervention reporting and follow-up also varied.
  • AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations

Exact source links

Public citations are filtered to exact credible source pages. Homepage-only or invalid links stay in admin review and are not shown here.

Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing (PubMed)

Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing (PubMed). Effects of eHealth interventions on depression, anxiety, quality of life, and post-traumatic stress symptoms among parents of children with cancer: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Open original source

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42730132/

Professional education only

This summary does not replace clinical judgment, facility policy, provider orders, or official guidelines. Verify practice changes against the original source and local protocol.

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