Distress screening in oncology-evaluation of the Questionnaire on Distress in Cancer Patients-short form (QSC-R10) in a German sample.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to examine the psychometric properties of the Questionnaire on Stress in Cancer Patients (QSC-R10), a 10-item screening instrument for self-assessment of psychosocial distress in cancer patients.


METHODS
A total of 1850 cancer patients were assessed with the QSC-R10. Patients were recruited from different inpatient and outpatient settings in Germany between 2007 and 2009.


RESULTS
Mean age of the sample was 62.9 (SD=12.4) with breast cancer as the most frequent diagnosis (35.2%). The analysis indicated high reliability (Cronbach's α=0.85) and test-retest reliability (ICC=0.89). Validation scales included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Distress-Thermometer (DT), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS). Convergent validity was highest for the HADS total score (r=0.74) and the lowest correlation for KPS (r=-0.36). The QSC-R10 significantly distinguished subgroups by their clinical characteristics (metastases, illness duration, previous psychiatric treatment and psycho-oncological support; p<0.001). A cutoff score of >14 demonstrated good sensitivity (81.0%) and specificity (73.2%) and is suitable to determine the need for psychosocial support.


CONCLUSIONS
The QSC-R10 is a valid and reliable questionnaire to detect distress in cancer patients with high acceptance among professionals and patients.
Book
Katrin
K
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. K.Book@lrz.tum.de
Marten-Mittag
Birgitt
B
Henrich
Gerhard
G
Dinkel
Andreas
A
Scheddel
Patrick
P
Sehlen
Susanne
S
Haimerl
Wolfgang
W
Schulte
Thomas
T
Britzelmeir
Ingrid
I
Herschbach
Peter
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*