A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies on the Impact of Empowerment-Based Interventions on Child and Parent Outcomes in the Pediatric Oncology Setting

BACKGROUND: Cancer has an impact not only on children but also on parents. Parents play the most crucial role in cancer’s symptom control and management. However, as the primary caretakers, parents are frequently unprepared or engage in inappropriate behavior when caring for their children. Increasing parents’ role through empowerment is critical in pediatric cancer care. PURPOSE: This systematic review aimed to identify the effect of empowerment interventions on parent and child outcomes in pediatric oncology. METHODS: In this review, studies published between 2013 and 2023 in The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Scopus databases were identified using a search strategy to identify relevant studies that determined empowerment-based intervention for parents in the pediatric oncology. This study used the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools to assess the quality of the studies. This systematic review followed the recommended reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) standards. RESULTS: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria: four randomized and three non-randomized experimental studies. Children range in age from 1–14 years. The intervention is mostly delivered through face-to-face learning using booklets or modules as a learning tool. The intervention is delivered in 2–6 sessions over 1–8 weeks, lasting 20–45 minutes each. In most studies, the interventions positively affect parents’ outcomes (knowledge, caring behavior, distress, care burden, quality of life) and children’s outcomes (oral mucositis, gastrointestinal complications, quality of life). The intervention, however, has no significant effect on the coping style. Barriers to implementation include parent-nurse commitment, the retention of parent-nurse participation, and more time spent to provide interventions. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights that empowerment-based interventions positively impact parents and children. These findings suggest that an empowerment-based intervention should be developed to provide better cancer care for a parent and their children. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number was CRD42023422834.