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wellbeing and numerous demographic and cancer variables, a suitable corrected
threshold of statistical significance would be less than the conventional p = .05.
Therefore all p-values are presented as actual values and a p value of < .05 was used
only as an arbitrary indicator of significance difference. Internal consistency of the
scales were tested by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. A level above .7 is recommended by
Nunally (1978).
Due to the small number of responders (170) and the broad spread of cancer
diagnosis, in answering the research questions, the groups were combined into three
categories, leukaemia/ lymphoma, CNS tumours and all others. In comparing the
characteristics of the childhood cancer survivors by treatment type, these were grouped
into chemotherapy, radiation, Haemopoetic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) and surgery.
It is important to note that cancer treatment often includes more than one of the
treatment modalities and surgery particularly, is often used as an adjuvant rather than a
stand alone therapy.
3.12 Ethical and Cultural Considerations
Health and Disability Multi-regional Ethical approval was granted by the Upper
South B Regional Ethics Committee for the Health and Disability Ethics Committees in
July 2009 for a period until December 2011 (Ethics Reference Number:
URB/09/05/017). Prior to submission, through the locality assessment process, ethical
approval was granted by the Auckland District Health Board Research Review
Committee (ADHB-RRC) (Approval number: A+4391) and the Canterbury District
Health Board Research Review Committee (CDHB-RRC). Support had been sought and
granted by the Māori Research Review Committees (MRRC) for the District Health
Boards.
In their granting of support the ADHB MRRC queried “whether it was ethical to
only involve English speaking participants in a country that has three official languages
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