Many months after their child's diagnosis and treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 46 percent of mothers exhibited symptoms of clinical anxiety and 26 percent of mothers showed depressive symptoms. The researchers chose to work with mothers in this maintenance period of relative stability following treatment so as to avoid making further demands on mothers during the acute period of their child's illness. This allowed them to look at the mid- and longer-term effects of a child's diagnosis on a mother's wellbeing.