Parental expectations at the time of childhood cancer diagnosis: Development and pilot testing of a structured assessment tool in India.

BACKGROUND: Parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer develop expectations about treatment, support, and financial challenges, influencing coping and communication. Validated tools to measure these expectations in low- and middle-income settings are limited. METHODS: This cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in a pediatric oncology center in India. A 20-item, expert-validated questionnaire covering five domains-Treatment and Prognosis, Facility Support, Financial Support, Psychosocial Support, and Spiritual Support-was administered to 30 parents of children under 14 years at diagnosis. Items were rated on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Unlikely, 2 = Less likely, 3 = Likely, 4 = More likely), with higher mean scores indicating more positive expectations. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests were used for analysis. RESULTS: Overall expectations were high, with a mean score of 3.55 ± 0.21 on a 1-4 scale, indicating responses clustered between "Likely" and "More likely." Facility Support (3.73 ± 0.27) and Treatment and Prognosis (3.64 ± 0.21) scored highest; Financial Support scored lowest (3.16 ± 0.40). Higher education (p = 0.022) and socioeconomic class (p < 0.05) predicted higher expectations. Younger child age correlated with psychosocial expectations (ρ = -0.68, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The tool demonstrated good feasibility and contextual relevance in this pilot study and may guide targeted psychosocial and financial support.