Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Ed. Specalist

Degree

*Ed.S.

Degree Name

Education Specialist (Ed.S.)

Degree Granting Department

Educational and Psychological Studies

Major Professor

Shannon Suldo, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Kathy Bradley-Klug, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kahlila Lawrence, Ph.D.

Keywords

adapting evidence-based interventions, family functioning, Pediatric cancer, positive psychology interventions

Abstract

This study utilized a mixed methods approach in two phases. The first phase entailed adapting an evidence-based positive psychology intervention—the Well-Being Promotion Program (WBPP; Suldo, 2016)— for children with pediatric cancer. The WBPP has mostly been provided to students at public schools, and to the researcher’s knowledge, has never been used for children with pediatric cancer. To make it culturally appropriate for this group of students, adaptations were made by collecting input and recommendations from a sample of two caregivers of children with pediatric cancer who participated in a focus group. A micro-interlocutor analysis (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2009) was completed to analyze the feedback from the focus group. Based on the feedback provided, appropriate adaptations were made, including extending the caregiver component of the WBPP, extending the “acts of kindness” activity, and developmental adaptations given the age of the children participating. No content adaptations based on the children’s pediatric cancer diagnosis were suggested. The second phase of the study consisted of providing the intervention to a sample of three students from a local school district who were enrolled in a homebound medical satellite educational center, exclusively for students undergoing cancer treatment. Two case studies are presented that analyze family functioning through qualitative (structured interviews) and quantitative data (The McMaster Family Assessment Device; FAD; Epstein et al., 1983). Findings from case study one indicate clinically significant improvement in affective involvement and general functioning based on quantitative FAD data. Qualitative data indicates improvement in communication surrounding wellness topics and improved sibling relationships. Findings from case study two indicate subclinical family functioning in all domains of the FAD at post-intervention. A third case study is presented that illustrates a unique example of family involvement throughout the program.

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