@article{ref1,
title="Utility of routine psychological screening in the childhood cancer survivor clinic",
journal="Journal of clinical oncology",
year="2003",
author="Recklitis, Christopher and O'Leary, Tara and Diller, Lisa",
volume="21",
number="5",
pages="787-792",
abstract="PURPOSE: This study examined the utility of routine psychologic screening in a childhood cancer survivor clinic by evaluating patient acceptance, comparing subjects' symptoms to normative data, examining the utility of specific tests, and identifying risk factors associated with psychological distress. METHODS: During their annual clinic visit, 101 adult survivors of childhood cancer (median age, 25 years) completed the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90), as well as the Short Form 36 (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and one additional suicide question. Psychological distress was operationally defined according to the published SCL-90 clinical case rule, classifying subjects with a consistent pattern of symptom elevations as clinical cases. RESULTS: The majority of subjects (80%) completed the screening in less than 30 minutes and reported little (15%) or no (84%) distress. Sixty-four percent believed it would help &quot;very much&quot; or &quot;moderately&quot; in getting to know them, and 35% thought it would help &quot;slightly.&quot; On the SCL-90, 32 subjects (31.7%) had a positive screen, indicating significant psychological distress. All subjects with clinically significant symptoms on the BDI and SF-36 Mental Health Scale were cases on the SCL-90 (case-positive). Suicidal symptoms were reported in 13.9% of the sample, all of whom were SCL-90 cases. In a logistic regression model, subjects' dissatisfaction with physical appearance, poor physical health, and treatment with cranial radiation were associated with psychological distress. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate that routine psychological screening can be successfully integrated into the cancer survivor clinic and may be effective in identifying those survivors with significant distress who require further evaluation.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0732-183X",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}