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Assessing Family Psychosocial Risks in Pediatric Cancer

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Abstract

The premise of this chapter is that screening for broad multifaceted family psychosocial risk can identify psychosocial care needs for pediatric cancer patients and their families in an effective and inclusive manner, to facilitate efficient assessment and delivery of appropriate and specific evidence-based psychosocial care. This chapter provides an update on the psychosocial screening literature in pediatric cancer (Kazak et al. 2012). General approaches to screening are presented along with a detailed discussion of two specific empirically supported risk screening tools – the Distress Thermometer (DT) and the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT). Screening is presented as the first step in the necessary sequence of psychosocial care provision. The chapter contains a detailed discussion of implementing psychosocial risk screening in pediatric cancer, including related challenges.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are many validated instruments that have been used in pediatric oncology. A review of all of them is beyond the scope of this chapter.

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Acknowledgment

The work discussed in this chapter has been supported by the National Cancer Institute (R21CA98039), St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the American Cancer Society (RSG-13-015), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (5U79SM061255), and the Nemours Center for Healthcare Delivery Science. The PPPHM and the PAT are copyrighted and cannot be used without permission (for information, contact psychosocialassessmenttool@nemours.org). Correspondence regarding this chapter may be directed to Dr. Kazak (anne.kazak@nemours.org).

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Correspondence to Anne E. Kazak PhD, ABPP .

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Kazak, A.E., DiDonato, S., Schneider, S.J., Pai, A.L.H. (2016). Assessing Family Psychosocial Risks in Pediatric Cancer. In: Abrams, A., Muriel, A., Wiener, L. (eds) Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology: Textbook for Multidisciplinary Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21374-3_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21374-3_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21373-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21374-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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