Methods
The methods described in this study are part of a larger
study.28 For the purposes of this manuscript, we only
included measures and procedures relevant to the current study.
ParticipantsEthics approval for this study was obtained through the local
institutional review board (HREBA.CC-16-0268). Survivors of pediatric
ALL, one sibling (if available, between 8-18 years of age), and one
parent from each family were recruited through the Long-Term Survivor
Clinic at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Eligible families were
approached during regular clinic visits by a member of the research team
to introduce the study and evaluate their interest in participating.
Eligibility criteria for survivors included: 1) diagnosed with pediatric
ALL and received treatment; 2) 8-18 years of age at the time of the
study; 3) were between 2-7 years post-treatment. Exclusion criteria
included: 1) diagnosed with a developmental disorder; 2) unable to speak
and read English; or 3) treated with CRT. If a survivor did not have an
eligible sibling, they were not excluded from participation.
Healthy controls, one sibling (if available), and one parent from each
family were recruited through the community via online and community
advertisements, public and private school mailing lists, and local
community hubs and events. The only inclusion criteria for healthy
controls and their siblings was that participants were 8-18 years of age
at the time of the study. Exclusion criteria included: 1) diagnosed with
a chronic illness; 2) diagnosed with a developmental disorder; 3) unable
to speak and read English. Healthy controls were sex and age matched to
a participant from the survivor group post-hoc.
ProcedureEligible survivors and their parent(s) were approached by a member of
the study team at their regular long-term follow-up appointments.
Interested families provided written consent and assent. Parents were
emailed unique URL links to complete the questionnaire package online
via Qualtrics and were asked to complete the package within 7 days.
Relevant clinical information was collected from the medical records of
all survivors enrolled in the study. Interested potential control
participants contacted the study team through the email or telephone
number provided on recruitment materials and were screened for
eligibility. All eligible control participants completed a one-time
visit at the University of Calgary. During this visit, written consent
and assent was obtained, and parents completed the questionnaire package
on a computer. All participants were renumerated $15 after completing
questionnaires.