Can the distress thermometer (DT) identify significant psychological distress in long-term cancer survivors?: a comparison with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18)

Merport, Anna; Bober, Sharon L.; Grose, Amy; Recklitis, Christopher J.

doi:10.1007/s00520-011-1269-7

Cited by 28 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In another study comparing the dt with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised in a sample of adult survivors of childhood cancer 41 , the results also do not support the validity of dt. Our findings strongly suggest that, in screening for distress, the dt is less valid in cancer survivors than in cancer patients 38,40,41 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…For each roc curve, the area under the curve (auc) was used as an indicator of the overall accuracy of the dt in identifying positive cases of distress. The auc values vary from 0 to 1, with values of 0.80 or more indicating good discrimination 38 . Sensitivity (the true positive rate), specificity (the true negative rate), and 95% confidence intervals (cis) 39 were calculated for each dt score.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, data about the utility of the dt for individuals in the survivorship phase are limited. In a study comparing the dt with the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 in a sample of cancer survivors 2 years after diagnosis 38 , and in a study comparing the dt with the hads in a sample of colorectal cancer survivors 40 , the dt demonstrated poor sensitivity. In another study comparing the dt with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised in a sample of adult survivors of childhood cancer 41 , the results also do not support the validity of dt.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some researchers believe that differences in the performance of the dt between cancer patients and cancer survivors might reflect differences in cancer treatment, emotional status, and understanding of distress 38,41 . That is, the sensitivity of the dt in measuring psychological distress is associated with the individual's disease stage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sensitivity and Specificity of the Distress Thermometer in Screening for Distress in Long-Term Nasopharyngeal Cancer Survivors

Hong

Tian

2013

Current Oncology

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(95% ci: 0.814 to 0.894). At a cut-off score of 5, the corresponding sensitivities were lower than those at the cut-off score of 4. All potential cut-off scores showed poor sensitivity (<0.90). ConclusionsThe roc analysis showed poor discrimination. No potential dt cut-off score had an acceptable sensitivity. The dt showed poor sensitivity in npc survivors. Thus, the dt might not be a valid scale for psychological distress screening in long-term Chinese npc survivors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sensitivity and Specificity of the Distress Thermometer in Screening for Distress in Long-Term Nasopharyngeal Cancer Survivors

Hong

Tian

2013

Current Oncology

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“…38 Although the DT has been successfully validated against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in a variety of cancer-related patient and caregiver populations, 39 research has shown that the single-item measure is not as successful at identifying all cases of psychologic distress compared with more-robust tools (eg, Brief Symptom Inventory-18), although it is an efficient method for ruling out symptoms of depression and anxiety. 36,40 Therefore, the true level of overall distress in this population of 120 insured patients with cancer may be even higher than the 65% rate determined by this research. Finally, we measured emotional distress by summing the responses on the Problem List.…”

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confidence: 61%

Relationships Among Financial Distress, Emotional Distress, and Overall Distress in Insured Patients With Cancer

Meeker

Geynisman

Egleston

et al. 2016

JOP

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Purpose: Recent studies have demonstrated increasing rates of financial toxicities and emotional distress related to cancer treatment. This study assessed and characterized the relationships among financial distress, emotional symptoms, and overall distress in patients with cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of patients with cancer who visited our outpatient medical oncology and psychiatry clinics completed a pen-and-paper survey. The survey assessed demographics; cost concerns; and financial, emotional, and overall distress. Results: One hundred twenty insured patients completed the survey. Sixty-five percent reported clinically significant overall distress scores, with the same percentage reporting at least one emotional problem (worry, anxiety, depression, etc). Twenty-nine percent scored in the range of high to overwhelming financial distress. By using structural equation modeling, we found that financial distress was associated with overall distress. This association was both direct (accounting for 76% of the effect) and indirect (accounting for 24% of the effect) via mediation by emotional distress. Conclusion: This cohort of patients with cancer reported significant levels of emotional distress, financial distress, and overall distress. These factors were interrelated, with both financial and emotional distress contributing to overall distress. Interventions targeted at alleviating financial distress may help to decrease levels of overall distress.

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

Recklitis

Blackmon

Chang

2015

Cancer

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BACKGROUND The validity of the Distress Thermometer (DT) as a screen for psychological distress in young adult (YA) cancer survivors was assessed by comparing it with results of a psychiatric diagnostic interview, the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (SCID), in order to evaluate accuracy of the DT and identify optimal cut-off scores for this population. METHODS 247 survivors (age 18–40 years) completed the DT and SCID. Based on the SCID, participants were classified as having: 1) One or more SCID diagnoses; 2) Significant symptoms, but no SCID diagnosis; or 3) No significant SCID symptoms. ROC analyses determined sensitivity and specificity of all possible DT cut-off scores for detecting survivors with a SCID diagnosis, and subsequently for survivors with significant SCID symptoms or a SCID diagnosis. RESULTS The recommended DT cut-off score of ≥ 5 failed to identify 31.81% of survivors with a SCID diagnosis (sensitivity 68.18%, specificity 78.33%), and 32.81% of survivors with either Significant SCID symptoms or a SCID diagnosis. No alternative DT cut-off score met criteria for acceptable sensitivity (≥.85) and specificity (≥.75). CONCLUSIONS The DT does not reliably identify YA cancer survivors with psychiatric problems identified by a “gold standard” structured psychiatric interview; the DT should not be used as a stand-alone psychological screen in this population.

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Can the distress thermometer (DT) identify significant psychological distress in long-term cancer survivors?: a comparison with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18)

Abstract: The results do not support the validity of the DT in survivors of adult cancers.

Cited by 28 publications

References 20 publications

Sensitivity and Specificity of the Distress Thermometer in Screening for Distress in Long-Term Nasopharyngeal Cancer Survivors

Sensitivity and Specificity of the Distress Thermometer in Screening for Distress in Long-Term Nasopharyngeal Cancer Survivors

Relationships Among Financial Distress, Emotional Distress, and Overall Distress in Insured Patients With Cancer

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

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