Psychological Interventions and Family-Centered Care in Pediatric Oncology and Palliative Contexts

Advances in pediatric oncology have significantly improved survival rates; however, children and adolescents facing cancer continue to experience substantial psychological distress throughout diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care. These challenges extend beyond patients to their families, who often confront emotional burden, uncertainty, ethical dilemmas, and complex decision-making processes. In palliative contexts, psychological support becomes essential to address suffering, promote quality of life, and facilitate adaptive coping, communication, and meaning-making. Despite growing recognition of the psychosocial dimensions of pediatric cancer, gaps remain in the integration of evidence-based psychological assessment and intervention within interdisciplinary care models. This Research Topic seeks to address these gaps by bringing together research that advances psychological theory, clinical practice, and family-centered approaches across the full pediatric oncology and palliative care trajectory.The goal of this Research Topic is to address the persistent gap between the psychological needs of pediatric oncology patients and families and the systematic integration of evidence-based psychological care across oncology and palliative settings. Despite recent advances in psychosocial oncology, including trauma-informed care, family-centered interventions, and meaning-centered and acceptance-based approaches, psychological support remains unevenly implemented. Its aims are to consolidate current research on assessment tools, preventive and therapeutic interventions, and interdisciplinary models that enhance emotional regulation, coping, communication, and quality of life. By highlighting innovative clinical practices, empirical findings, and ethical frameworks, this collection seeks to promote accessible, developmentally sensitive, and culturally informed psychological care throughout the pediatric cancer trajectory, from diagnosis to survivorship and end-of-life care.We welcome contributions addressing psychological assessment and intervention in pediatric oncology and palliative care settings across the disease trajectory. Relevant themes include emotional distress and adjustment, coping processes, family-centered and caregiver interventions, communication of diagnosis and prognosis, ethical challenges in decision-making, grief and bereavement, and interdisciplinary models of care. Submissions exploring developmental, cultural, and contextual factors influencing psychological outcomes are particularly encouraged, as are studies examining innovative and evidence-based approaches such as acceptance-based therapies, meaning-centered interventions, trauma-informed care, and digital or telepsychology programs. This Research Topic accepts a range of manuscript types, including original research articles, systematic or scoping reviews, meta-analyses, brief research reports, clinical case studies, methodological papers, and theoretical or perspective articles that advance psychological practice and research in pediatric oncology and palliative contexts. Topic editors: María Cantero-García, Alfonso Miguel García Hernández Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78635/psychological-interventions-and-family-centered-care-in-pediatric-oncology-and-palliative-contexts