Program Evaluation by Graduates of the Pediatric Cancer Peer Supporter Training Program

School of Medicine, Nursing Department, Tokai University, Japan

*Corresponding author: Dr. Reiko Inoue, PhD, RN, School of Medicine, Nursing Department, Tokai University, 143 Shimokasuya Isehara Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan, Tel/Fax: +81-463-90-2067, Email: [email protected]

Received Date: November 22, 2023

Published Date: November 30, 2023

Citation: Inoue R. (2023). Program Evaluation by Graduates of the Pediatric Cancer Peer Supporter Training Program. Mathews J Nurs. 5(5):28.

Copyrights: Inoue R. © (2023).

ABSTRACT

Pediatric cancer is the number one cause of illness and death in children and requires long-term and aggressive treatment. Consequently, families face physical, psychological, and social issues, and peer support among family members with the same experience is an important source of support. This study aimed to evaluate and verify a training program for Japanese families known as the "Pediatric Cancer Peer Supporter Training Program". The program conducted a questionnaire survey with 219 participants who had attended up to the 10th training session. It examined the effect of the training on participants in the four categories of "interpersonal and social skills", "counseling skills", "self-efficacy", and "motivation," referring to the concept of self-efficacy proposed by Albert Bandura. The results showed that self-efficacy scores increased after the training in all cases, indicating that the training content had some effect on the participants. It is suggested that peer support is essential for families of children with cancer, and training programs that enable them to acquire skills as supporters should be continued in the future.

Keywords: Pediatric Cancer, Peer Supporter, Training Program, Evaluation.