RATIONALE: Studying the physical and emotional needs of parents who are caring for children receiving chemotherapy for cancer may help doctors plan effective treatments for the patient that allow for improved quality of life of the patient's family.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the different physical and emotional needs of parents whose children are undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia either in an outpatient clinic or in the hospital.

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the caregiving demands reported by parents of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia receiving methotrexate on 2 different infusion schedules (inpatient care vs outpatient care).
• Compare the change in caregiving demands on these parents over time, in terms of physical and emotional care, the need to make family arrangements, the need to communicate about the child's care, the need to gather information about the child's health status, and the effect on family well-being.

OUTLINE: Participants complete questionnaires regarding caregiver demands and family information over 25-30 minutes within 3-4 months of the initiation of the child's treatment and at the completion of the first year of the child's treatment.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 164 participants will be accrued for this study within 0.8 years.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Parent or legal guardian who is the primary caregiver of a patient enrolled on COG-P9904 or COG-P9905 protocol

  • Patient has not yet received week 13 of therapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• Not specified

Performance status

• Not specified

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Not specified

Hepatic

• Not specified

Renal

• Not specified

Other

• Able to understand English

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Not specified

Chemotherapy

• Not specified

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• Not specified

Surgery

• Not specified