The feasibility of psychosocial screening for adolescent and young adult brain tumor survivors: the value of self-report

Purpose Psychosocial screening is increasingly applied to childhood cancer survivors generally, but less so with pediatric brain tumor survivors despite their psychosocial risks. This study examined the utility and acceptability of psychological screening in pediatric brain tumor survivors. Methods Eighty-four adolescents (age 12-18) completed the Beck Youth Inventory-II and 79 young adults (age 19-30) completed the Brief Symptom Inventory-18. Their scores were compared to clinician ratings on the global assessment of functioning following clinical interviews. Results Eighty-four percent of participants completed measures in < 30 min, 90 % reported no associated distress, and 98 % found measures easy to understand. Using established cut-off scores, 14 adolescents (17 %) and 21 young adults (27 %) were identified as clinical cases by self-report. Agreement with clinician report was generally low (kappa = .19, p = .077, adolescents; kappa = .34, p = .003, young adults), with clinicians tending to rate a higher proportion of both groups as having significant distress (24 % in adolescents; 32 % in young adults). Low self-concept scores in adolescents and deficits in social and vocational functioning in young adults contributed significantly to the discrepancies between self-report and clinician ratings. Conclusions Pediatric brain tumor survivors are capable of completing self-report psychological measures without distress or burden. Self-report can be a valuable tool in the assessment of pediatric brain tumor survivors, particularly in adolescents, who may provide information not revealed in a clinical interview. However, self-report, should not be used as a stand-alone assessment because important areas of functioning may be minimized in survivors' reports. Implications for cancer survivors Utilizing self-report for psychosocial screening of adolescent and young adult brain tumor survivors may enhance clinical care and allow for better identification of survivors in need of psychological services.