Dynamics of the psychological status in children with cancer in preparation for the “Game of winners”

In the comprehensive rehabilitation of patients with cancer, physical exercise is considered as an additional method of prevention of anxiety spectrum disorders, which increases the level of self-esteem. Improving the psychological status of children can be associated with sports achievements when participating in the Winners Games competitions, preparation for which includes not only physical exercises but psychological support. The aim of the study was to assess the dynamics of the psychological status in children with cancer when preparing for the Winners Games. Material and methods: the study included 20 children with cancer aged from 8 to 12 years who were planning to participate in the Winners Games. Psychological support of the participants was aimed at self-regulation skills, relationships with partners and the coach, adequate motivation, and the exercises necessary for maintaining psychological status during the competition. A number of indicators were studied such as the level of self-esteem (Rosenberg test), the level of anxiety (the Luscher color test) and psychodiagnostic examination (the Cattell’s method) in the beginning of training and after three months. To compare the average group values, the Student's T-test was used. To evaluate the distribution (qualitative characteristics), the Fischer F-test was performed. Results: an assessment of the dynamics of the psychophysiological status in children with cancer preparing for the Winners Games (at the beginning of training and 3 months after physical training and psychological support) revealed a decrease in the number of children with low self-esteem and high anxiety (p function show_eabstract() { $('#eabstract1').hide(); $('#eabstract2').show(); $('#eabstract_expand').hide(); }