Screening young adult cancer survivors for distress with the Distress Thermometer: Comparisons with a structured clinical diagnostic interview.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The validity of the Distress Thermometer (DT) as a screen for psychological distress in young adult cancer survivors was assessed by comparing it with the results of a psychiatric diagnostic interview, the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) (SCID), to evaluate the accuracy of the DT and identify optimal cutoff scores for this population.

Methods

A total of 247 survivors aged 18 to 40 years completed the DT and SCID. Based on the SCID, participants were classified as having: 1) ≥ 1 SCID diagnoses; 2) significant symptoms, but no SCID diagnosis; or 3) no significant SCID symptoms. Receiver operating characteristic analyses determined the sensitivity and specificity of all possible DT cuto

SUBMITTER: Recklitis CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4707976 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature