Adolescent survivors of childhood cancer: are they vulnerable for psychological distress?

We aimed to (i) evaluate psychological distress in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer and compare them to siblings and a norm population; (ii) compare the severity of distress of distressed survivors and siblings with that of psychotherapy patients; and (iii) determine risk factors for psychological distress in survivors. We sent a questionnaire to all childhood cancer survivors aged <16 years when diagnosed, who had survived ≥ 5 years and were aged 16-19 years at the time of study. Our control groups were same-aged siblings, a norm population, and psychotherapy patients. Psychological distress was measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) assessing somatization, depression, anxiety, and a global severity index (GSI). Participants with a T-score ≥ 57 were defined as distressed. We used logistic regression to determine risk factors. We evaluated the BSI-18 in 407 survivors and 102 siblings. Fifty-two survivors (13%) and 11 siblings (11%) had scores above the distress threshold (T ≥ 57). Distressed survivors scored significantly higher in somatization (p=0.027) and GSI (p=0.016) than distressed siblings, and also scored higher in somatization (p ≤ 0.001) and anxiety (p=0.002) than psychotherapy patients. In the multivariable regression, psychological distress was associated with female sex, self-reported late effects, and low perceived parental support. The majority of survivors did not report psychological distress. However, the severity of distress of distressed survivors exceeded that of distressed siblings and psychotherapy patients. Systematic psychological follow-up can help to identify survivors at risk and support them during the challenging period of adolescence.

Gianinazzi ME ，Rueegg CS ，Wengenroth L ，Bergstraesser E ，Rischewski J ，Ammann RA ，Kuehni CE ，Michel G ，for Swiss Pediatric Oncology Group (SPOG) ... -  《-》

Psychological distress in adult survivors of childhood cancer: the Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor study.

Michel G ，Rebholz CE ，von der Weid NX ，Bergstraesser E ，Kuehni CE ... -  《-》

The long-term impact of cancer: Evaluating psychological distress in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors in Switzerland.

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are diagnosed with cancer during a critical life period full of psychosocial challenges. They may experience a significant impact of the cancer diagnosis on their psychological health, also in the long term. We aimed to (a) evaluate psychological distress in AYA cancer survivors and compare levels of distress with controls and (b) describe socio-demographic and cancer-related characteristics associated with psychological distress. We sent a questionnaire to AYA cancer survivors (aged 16-25 y at diagnosis, survived ≥5 y) registered in the Cancer Registry Zurich and Zug, Switzerland. Psychological distress was measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) assessing anxiety, depression, and somatization and a global severity index (GSI) (cutoff score indicating psychological distress: T ≥ 57). Distress levels were compared between survivors and controls. We used logistic regression to determine associations of socio-demographic and cancer-related characteristics with distress. Of 160 AYA cancer survivors, 34 (21%) reported being distressed (27% in women, 17% in men; P = 0.129). Compared with controls, survivors did not report higher levels of distress (all P values > 0.05). Survivors with migration background and survivors with late effects reported higher levels on GSI, somatization, and anxiety. Higher levels of depression were associated with being female, not being in a partnership, and having late effects. A substantial subgroup of AYA cancer survivors reported psychological distress. Systematically screening for distress and providing psychological follow-up for survivors at risk may help to provide adequate psychological support.

Michel G ，François C ，Harju E ，Dehler S ，Roser K ... -  《-》

Psychological distress in long-term survivors of solid tumors diagnosed in childhood: a report from the childhood cancer survivor study.

Zebrack BJ ，Zevon MA ，Turk N ，Nagarajan R ，Whitton J ，Robison LL ，Zeltzer LK ... -  《PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER》

Emotional distress in 652 Dutch very long-term survivors of childhood cancer, using the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS).

van der Geest IM ，van Dorp W ，Hop WC ，Neggers SJ ，de Vries AC ，Pieters R ，Aarsen FK ，van den Heuvel-Eibrink MM ... -  《-》