Development of a Psychosocial Risk Screener for Siblings of Children With Cancer: Incorporating the Perspectives of Parents

Title

Development of a Psychosocial Risk Screener for Siblings of Children With Cancer: Incorporating the Perspectives of Parents

Creator

Long Kristin A; Pariseau EM; Muriel AC; Chu A; Kazak AE; Alderfer MA

Publisher

Journal of Pediatric Psychology

Date

2018

Description

ObjectiveAlthough many siblings experience distress after a child�s cancer diagnosis, their psychosocial functioning is seldom assessed in clinical oncology settings. One barrier to systematic sibling screening is the lack of a validated, sibling-specific screening instrument. Thus, this study developed sibling-specific screening modules in English and Spanish for the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT), a well-validated screener of family psychosocial risk.MethodsA purposive sample of English- and Spanish-speaking parents of children with cancer (N?=?29) completed cognitive interviews to provide in-depth feedback on the development of the new PAT sibling modules. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, cleaned, and analyzed using applied thematic analysis. Items were updated iteratively according to participants� feedback. Data collection continued until saturation was reached (i.e., all items were clear and valid).ResultsTwo sibling modules were developed to assess siblings� psychosocial risk at diagnosis (preexisting risk factors) and several months thereafter (reactions to cancer). Most prior PAT items were retained; however, parents recommended changes to improve screening format (separately assessing each sibling within the family and expanding response options to include �sometimes�), developmental sensitivity (developing or revising items for ages 0�2, 3�4, 5�9, and 10+?years), and content (adding items related to sibling-specific social support, global assessments of sibling risk, emotional/behavioral reactions to cancer, and social ecological factors such as family and school).ConclusionsPsychosocial screening requires sibling-specific screening items that correspond to preexisting risk (at diagnosis) and reactions to cancer (several months after diagnosis). Validated, sibling-specific screeners will facilitate identification of siblings with elevated psychosocial risk.

Citation List Month

Oncology 2018 List

Collection

Citation

Long Kristin A; Pariseau EM; Muriel AC; Chu A; Kazak AE; Alderfer MA, “Development of a Psychosocial Risk Screener for Siblings of Children With Cancer: Incorporating the Perspectives of Parents,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/16070.