ABSTRACT
One of the distinguishing features of many of the treatments for haematological malignancies is the invasive, aggressive, and high-tech features of the medical interventions (Decker et al., 1989). Such procedures can include cranial irradiation, intrathecal chemotherapy, venipunctures, bone marrow aspirations, and biopsies (Lesko et al., 1992). These stressful treatments are characteristically administered over lengthy periods of time. The treatment for acute leukaemia, for example, typically takes two to three years to complete (Lesko et al., 1992). To date, however, the psychological distress associated with diagnosis and treatment has received little systematic attention (Norum & Wist, 1996).
