Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Supportive Care in Cancer
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer 11/2016

01-11-2016 | Original Article

Social competence in children and young people treated for a brain tumour

Authors: Alice Emond, Lesley Edwards, Samantha Peacock, Catherine Norman, Michael Evangeli

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 11/2016

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of this study were to provide a multi-informant assessment of social competence in 8–16-year olds treated for a brain tumour (BT) and then to compare these assessment outcomes to peers.

Method

A cross-sectional, mixed (within and between group) design was used to compare a paediatric BT survivor group (n = 33) with an age-matched control group (n = 34) on two multi-informant (self-report, parent, teacher) social competence questionnaires: Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Demographic factors (age, gender, social economic status (SES), intellectual ability and emotional/behavioural difficulties were investigated as potential non-insult-related risk factors.

Results

Compared to controls, the BT group was reported to have difficulties in social adjustment, interactions and information processing, on both social competence questionnaire measures by parents and teachers, but not self-report. Social competence scores for the BT group were broadly distributed within the normal-severe clinical range, with 40 % of BT survivors scoring in the clinical range for social competence difficulties on the SRS. Lower intellectual ability and emotional/behavioural difficulties accounted for some of the group differences in social competence, but group effects remained once estimated IQ and emotional/behavioural difficulties were controlled for.

Conclusions

Paediatric BT survivors were reported by parents and teachers to have significant difficulties at all three levels of social competence: adjustment, interaction and information processing. The results highlight the importance of routine assessment in clinic settings for social competence and emotional/behavioural difficulties in BT survivors, to promote early identification and to ensure that survivors are referred for appropriate services and intervention as part of their multi-disciplinary care package.
Literature
1.
Stiller C (2004) Childhood cancer. The health of children and young people. Office for National Statistics, London
2.
Reminers TS, Mortensen EL, Nysom K, Schmiegelow K (2009) Health-related quality of life in long-term survivors of childhood brain tumors. Pediatr Blood Cancer 53:1086–1091CrossRef
3.
Fuemmeler BF, Elkin TD, Mullins LL (2002) Survivors of childhood brain tumors: Behavioral, emotional, and social adjustment. Clin Psychol Rev 22:547–585CrossRefPubMed
4.
Brothers L (1990) The Social Brain: A project for integrating primate behaviour and neurophysiology in a new domain. ConceptsNeurosci 1:27–51
5.
6.
Wilne SH, Ferris RC, Nathwani A, Kennedy CR (2006) The presenting features of brain tumours: A review of 200 cases. Br Med J 91:502–506
7.
Maddrey AM, Bergeron JA, Lombardo ER, McDonald NK, Mulne AF, Barenberg PD, Bowers DC (2005) Neuropsychological performance and quality of life of 10 year survivors of childhood medulloblastoma. J Neuro-Oncol 72:245–253CrossRef
8.
Rubin KH, Rose-Krasnor L (1992) Interpersonal problem-solving. In: Van Hassett VB, Hersen M (eds) Handbook of social development. Penum, New York, pp 283–323CrossRef
9.
Yeates KO, Bigler ED, Dennis M, Gerhardt CA, Rubin KH, Stancin T et al (2007) Social outcomes in childhood brain disorder: A heuristic integration of social neuroscience and developmental psychology. Psychol Bull 133:535–556CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
10.
Salley CG, Gerhardt CA, Fairclough DL, Patenaude AF, Vannatta K (2014) Social Self-Perception Among Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors Compared with Peers. J Dev Behav Pediatr 35:427–434CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Hocking MC, McCurdy M, Turner E, Kazak AE, Noll RB, Phillips P, Barakat LP (2015) Social competence in pediatric brain tumor survivors: Application of a model from social neuroscience and developmental psychology. Pediatr Blood Cancer 62:375–384CrossRefPubMed
12.
Sands SA, Zhour T, O’Neil SH, Patiel SK, Allen J, Cullen PM et al (2012) Long-Term Follow-Up of Children Treated for High-Grade Gliomas: Children’s Oncology Group L991 Final Study Report. J Clin Oncol 30:943–949CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
13.
Schulte F, Barrera M (2010) Social competence in childhood brain tumor survivors: a comprehensive review. Support Care Cancer 18:1499–1513CrossRefPubMed
14.
Bonner MJ, Hardy KK, Willard VW, Anthony KK, Hood M, Gururangan S (2008) Social functioning and facial expression recognition in survivors of pediatric brain tumors. J Pediatr Psychol 33:1142–1152CrossRefPubMed
15.
Schulte F, Vannatta K, Barrera M (2014) Social problem solving and social performance after a group social skills intervention for childhood brain tumor survivors. Psycho-Oncology 23:183–189CrossRefPubMed
16.
Poggi G, Liscio M, Galbiati S, Adduci A, Massimino M, Gandola L et al (2005) Brain tumors in children and adolescents: Cognitive and psychological disorders at different ages. Psycho-Oncology 14:386–395CrossRefPubMed
17.
Carpentieri SC, Mulhern RK, Douglas S, Hanna S, Fairclough DL (1993) Behavioral resiliency among children surviving brain tumors: A longitudinal study. J Clin Child Psychol 22:236–246CrossRef
18.
Poggi G, Liscio M, Adduci A, Galbiati S, Massimino M, Sommovigo M et al (2005) Psychological and adjustment problems due to acquired brain lesions in childhood: A comparison between post-traumatic patients and brain tumour survivors. Brain Inj 19:777–785CrossRefPubMed
19.
20.
Gresham FM, Elliott SN (2008) Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) rating scale manual. Pearson Assessment, Minneapolis
21.
Gresham FM, Elliott SN (1990) Social Skills Rating System. American Guidance Service, Circle Pines
22.
Schulte F, Barrera M (2014) Social competence in pediatric brain tumor survivors: evaluating the psychometric properties of assessment tools. Support Care Cancer 22:561–569CrossRefPubMed
23.
Constantino JN, Gruber CP (2005) Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Western Psychological Services, LA
24.
Constantino JN, Zhang Y, Holzhauer K, Sant S, Long K, Vallorani A, Malik L, Gutmann DH (2015) Distribution and Within-Family Specificity of Quantitative Autistic Traits in Patients with Neurofibromatosis Type I. J Pediatr 167:621–626CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
25.
Towbin KE, Pradella A, Gorrindo T, Pine DS, Leibenluft E (2005) Autism spectrum traits in children with mood and anxiety disorders. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 15:452–464CrossRefPubMed
26.
Wechsler D (2002) Wechsler abbreviated scale of intelligence (WASI). The Psychological Corporation, San Antonio
27.
Caruso JC, Cliff N (1999) The properties of equally and differentially weighted WAIS-II factor scores. Psychol Assess 11:198–206CrossRef
28.
Goodman R (1997) The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: A research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatr Allied Discip 38:581–586CrossRef
29.
30.
Aarsen FK, Paquier PF, Reddingius RE, Streng IC, Arts WFM, Evera-Preesman M, Catsman-Berrevoets CE (2006) Functional outcome after low-grade astrocytoma treatment in childhood. Cancer 106:396–402CrossRefPubMed
31.
Owens JS, Goldine ME, Evangelista NM, Hoza B, Kaiser NM (2007) A critical review of self-perceptions and the positive illusory bias in children with ADHD. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 10:335–351CrossRefPubMed
32.
Canning EH (1994) Mental disorders in chronically ill children: case identification and parent-child discrepancy. Psychosom Med 56:104–108CrossRefPubMed
33.
Poretti A, Grotzer MA, Ribi K, Schonle E, Boltshauser E (2004) Outcome of craniopharyngioma in children: long-term complications and quality of life. Dev Med Child Neurol 46:220–9CrossRefPubMed
34.
Phipps S (2007) Adaptive style in children with cancer: Implications for a positive psychology approach. J Pediatr Psychol 32:1055–1066CrossRefPubMed
35.
Meeske K, Katz ER, Palmer SN, Burwinkle T, Varni JW (2004) Parent proxy-reported health-related quality of life and fatigue in pediatric patients diagnosed with brain tumors and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Cancer 101:2116–2125CrossRefPubMed
36.
Radcliffe J, Bennett D, Kazak AE, Foley B, Phillips PC (1996) Adjustment in childhood brain tumor survival: Child, mother, and teacher report. J Pediatr Psychol 21:529–539CrossRefPubMed
37.
Ladd GW (2005) Children’s peer relations and social competence: a century of progress. Yale University Press, New Haven
38.
La Greca AM (1990) Social consequences of pediatric conditions: Fertile area for future investigation and intervention. J Pediatr Psychol 15:285–307CrossRefPubMed
39.
Mabbott DJ, Penkman L, Witol A, Srother D, Bouffet E (2008) Core neurocognitive functions in children treated for posterior fossa tumors. Neuropsychology 22:159–168CrossRefPubMed
40.
Spiegler BJ, Bouffet E, Greenberg ML, Rutka JT, Mabbott DJ (2004) Change in neurocognitive functioning after treatment with cranial radiation in childhood. J Clin Oncol 22:706–713CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Social competence in children and young people treated for a brain tumour
Authors
Alice Emond
Lesley Edwards
Samantha Peacock
Catherine Norman
Michael Evangeli
Publication date
01-11-2016
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 11/2016
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3301-4

Other articles of this Issue 11/2016

Supportive Care in Cancer 11/2016 Go to the issue

Commentary

No man’s land: information needs and resources of men with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer

Original Article

“Perhaps I will die young.” Fears and worries regarding disease and death among Danish adolescents and young adults with cancer. A mixed method study

Original Article

Score of liver ultrasonography predicts treatment-related severe neutropenia and neutropenic fever in induction chemotherapy with docetaxel for locally advanced head and neck cancer patients with normal serum transamines

Original Article

Symptoms and quality of life in patients with brain metastases receiving whole-brain radiation therapy

Original Article

Seeing the good in the bad: which factors are associated with posttraumatic growth in long-term survivors of adolescent cancer?

Original Article

Validity of the Japanese version of functional assessment of cancer therapy-gastric (FACT-Ga) and its sensitivity to ascites volume change: a retrospective analysis of Japanese clinical trial participants
Webinar | 19-02-2024 | 17:30 (CET)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on antibody–drug conjugates in cancer

Watch now

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are novel agents that have shown promise across multiple tumor types. Explore the current landscape of ADCs in breast and lung cancer with our experts, and gain insights into the mechanism of action, key clinical trials data, existing challenges, and future directions.

Dr. Véronique Diéras
Prof. Fabrice Barlesi
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Image Credits