Background and Objectives: Impaired cognition and pain after surgery contribute to prolonged hospital stays and increased mortality rates. Thus, the development of preemptive algorithms for reducing their impact should be prioritized. The main objectives of the present study were to evaluate the efficiency of using virtual reality (VR) to treat postoperative cognitive decline and pain perception. Materials and Methods: The study was a prospective, monocentric, clinical study that included 51 patients who have undergone major abdominal surgery. The patients were divided into two groups: Control (n = 25) and VR (n = 26). The VR sessions consisted of 5–8 min exposure at 24–48 h after surgery. We considered the outcome variables, the mini-mental state examination, and visual analogue scale at 24–48 h after surgery. The dependent variables were age, social status, educational level, and duration of surgery. Results: We did not observe any differences in postoperative cognition deficit with regard to VR. The VR, however, successfully reduced postoperative pain intensity. Moreover, the patients’ age, surgery duration, level of education, and social status influenced the MMSE score at 24–48 h after surgery. Conclusions: Even if using VR does not alleviate short-term postoperative cognitive impairments, it could affect pain perception. Further studies are needed to support the use of VR in perioperative contexts.

Objective: The objective of this exploratory pilot study was to examine the relationship between coping strategies and perceived quality of life in adolescents diagnosed with oncological diseases, with attention to the potential role of psychosocial factors in emotional adaptation. Method: The study included 20 adolescents (12 boys, 8 girls), aged 12–18 years, enrolled in the hospital school program in Bucharest, Romania, while receiving active oncological treatment. Participants completed two validated instruments: the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL—Cancer Module) and the KidCOPE questionnaire. Results: The mean quality of life score was 70, indicating a moderately good level of quality of life. Emotion-focused and avoidance-based strategies (distraction, social withdrawal, and acceptance) were most frequently reported, while problem-focused coping was less common. Regression analysis showed that coping dimensions explained approximately 26% of the variance in quality of life (R² = 0.26, F(3,16) = 1.83, p = 0.183). Although the overall model was not statistically significant, an observed negative association was found between avoidant coping and quality of life (p = 0.037). These results should be interpreted with caution given the small sample size and cross-sectional design. Discussion: The findings suggest that adolescents with cancer may maintain a functional level of adaptation despite medical and emotional challenges, supported by medical staff and social resources. The predominance of avoidant strategies highlights the need for further investigation of their long-term implications. Conclusions: These preliminary results generate hypotheses and underline the importance of future research on psychological and educational interventions aimed at fostering more active coping strategies and supporting resilience in adolescents with cancer.

Objective. The objective of this study was to analyze the emotional distress among the adolescents with cancer. This distress negatively affects both the health-related quality of life and the treatment outcomes. Material and method. 42 adolescents (18 female and 24 male; 15 years +-1.8 SD) were included in the study and we emphasize that to them were applied the followings: a short scale of distress with 6 items and a scale of emotional thermometers, at the start of treatment and 6 months after the start of treatment. All the adolescents participating in the study benefited from the interventions of the non-formal Brain Station program and the formal program of the Hospital School. The study took place between September 2023 and June 2024. Results. At the beginning of the treatment, stress had a significant influence on distress, explaining approximately 21.49% of its total variance (r2=0.2149, p<0.05). After the interventions of the non-formal Brain Station program and the formal Hospital School program, stress continued to have a considerable influence on the distress, but explained only 9.54% of the variance (r2=0.0954, p<0.05). Also, the results of the study indicated that, 6 months after starting treatment: depression decreased significantly, anger decreased marginally significantly, while stress, anxiety, and need for help did not show statistically significant decreases. Conclusions. Interventions aimed to reducing stress early in treatment may have a relevant impact on reducing distress relative to interventions applied later. Thus, it was essential to pay a special attention to the stress management in the early stages of the oncology treatment, in order to maximize the reduction of distress in patients. Key words: adolescent, cancer, stress, distress, Brain Station, hospital school.

The present study aims to analyze the reintegration of adolescents with cancer in the schools of origin in Romania using the preparation scale for the reintegration of adolescents with cancer, which has 8 sub-scales and 71 items after the adolescents have completed the hospital school courses. It was necessary to use this scale because in Romania there is no reintegration scale for adolescents with long hospitalization experience. In June 2023, through a survey, 36 teenagers (15 girls, 21 boys), who lived a long-term experience in a hospital, answered the 71 items of the reintegration preparation scale (RRS) of pediatric oncology in Bucharest Romania, who were students in the hospital school and returned to the school of origin. The scale contains 8 subscales, namely: Self-management of behavior (10 items), Relationships between the student and others (10 items), Self-awareness (5 items), Self-confidence (5 items), Self-organization (12 items), Attitude (10 items ), Learning Skills (11 items), Reading Skills (8 items).The study emphasizes the importance of using the reintegration preparation scale (RRS) for adolescent patients in Romania, the results obtained being able to make the interventions of the psycho-educational reintegration team of adolescents with cancer more efficient.

Objective: The objective was to investigate the relationship between the coping strategies used and the perception of quality of life in adolescents diagnosed with oncological diseases, highlighting the impact of psychosocial factors on emotional adaptation to the disease. Method: The research was conducted on a sample of 20 adolescents (12 boys, 8 girls), aged between 12 and 18 years, hospitalized in a pediatric oncology unit. Participants completed two validated instruments: PedsQL (oncology version) to assess quality of life and the KidCOPE questionnaire to identify coping strategies used. Results: The mean global quality of life score was 70, indicating a moderate-good quality of life. The highest scores were recorded for communication and anxiety towards treatment, and the lowest for pain and procedural anxiety. The most frequently used coping strategies were emotional and avoidant, such as distraction, social withdrawal, and acceptance. Problem-focused coping was less common, indicating a need for educational interventions. Regression analysis showed that coping dimensions explained about 26% of the variance in adolescents’ quality of life, with avoidant coping emerging as a significant negative predictor. Discussion: Adolescents with cancer demonstrate a functional capacity for adaptation despite medical and emotional challenges, benefiting from good relationships with the medical team and social support. However, the predominance of avoidant strategies indicates a potential imbalance in long-term emotional regulation. Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of integrating psychological and educational interventions focused on developing active coping strategies and supporting the resilience of adolescents with cancer, in order to optimize their quality of life.