Social functioning and facial expression recognition in survivors of pediatric brain tumors

Objective To assess social functioning and facial expression recognition skill in survivors of pediatric brain tumors (BT) as compared to children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Methods The social functioning of 51 survivors of BT and 31 children with JRA was assessed using a facial expression recognition task, questionnaire ratings of social functioning, and an IQ screener. Results After controlling for estimated IQ, survivors of BT made significantly more errors interpreting adult facial expressions as compared to children with JRA. Additionally, history of therapy and diagnosis age predicted performance on the child portion of the facial recognition task. Finally, survivors of BT demonstrated significantly impaired social functioning across multiple measures when compared to children with JRA. Conclusions Survivors of pediatric BT showed significant deficits in social functioning as compared to an illness comparison group. Errors in facial expression recognition represent another method for evaluating deficits that contribute to social outcomes. Key words late effects; pediatric brain tumors; social functioning; survivorship. With survival rates for most childhood cancers increasing markedly to>75 % over the last few decades (American Cancer Society, 2007), the focus of medical professionals is starting to shift towards the ‘‘quality of survival.’