Posttraumatic stress-related psychological functioning in adult survivors of childhood cancer

Purpose

The majority of research examining posttraumatic stress symptoms/disorder (PTSS/PTSD) among adult survivors of childhood cancer has been oriented to cancer, assuming that cancer has been the most traumatic experience in their lives. Whether that assumption is valid, and how it might impact assessment of PTSS, is unknown.

Methods

Survivors in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort study completed an assessment of PTSS without cancer orientation, global psychological functioning, perceived stress, and cancer-related anxiety.

Results

Participants (n = 2969; M_age = 32.5 ± 8.5 years, 24.1 years since diagnosis, 49.1% female) obtained a mean score on the PTSD Checklist of 27.7, which is comparable to a normative population. Using established cutoffs, 11.8% obtained scores in the at-risk range. Multivariable modeling indicated that psychological factors [global distress (p < 0.0001), perceived stress (p = 0.001), cancer-related anxiety (p < 0.0001)] and demographic variables [female gender (p < 0.0001), survivors with less than a college education (p = 0.002)] were risk factors for increased PTSS. Only 14.5% identified a cancer-related traumatic event, and there was no difference in PTSS scores between those who identified cancer vs. non-cancer events as most stressful (28.4 ± 12.6 vs. 28.5 ± 12.7, p = 0.93).

Conclusion

One in eight adult long-term survivors of childhood cancer had PTSS above the cutoff, though subgroups (e.g., females and those with lower education) report more distress symptoms. Most adult survivors do not identify cancer as their most stressful event.

Implications for cancer survivors

Screening for distress in survivorship clinics should not assume that distress is directly related to the survivor’s cancer experience.