The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT2.0): Psychometric Properties of a Screener for Psychosocial Distress in Families of Children Newly Diagnosed with Cancer

Purpose Psychometric properties of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool 2.0 (PAT2.0), a brief screener for psychosocial risk in families of children with cancer, are presented. Methods Female (N 132) and male (N 72) caregivers of 141 children newly diagnosed with cancer completed the PAT2.0 and measures of child behavior symptoms, anxiety, acute stress, and family functioning to establish validity. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the PAT2.0 were also examined. Results Internal consistency and two-week test– retest for the PAT2.0 Total score was strong. Validity for the PAT2.0 was supported by significant correlations between the PAT2.0 subscales and measures of corresponding constructs. PAT2.0 Total scores were correlated with acute stress and child behavior symptoms for both mothers and fathers. Receiver-Operating Characteristic curves provided preliminary support for the proposed cutoffs. Conclusion The PAT2.0 Total score is a useful screening tool for family psychosocial risk in the pediatric oncology population. Key words assessment; families; parents; pediatric oncology; risk. The treatment of pediatric cancer involves a demanding medical regimen in which families are confronted with multiple and pervasive stressors including significant medical side effects (Bryant, 2003), considerable change