Measurement Properties of Self-Report Questionnaires Measuring the Social Adjustment for Youth after Treatment of Childhood Cancer: Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate measurement properties of self-report questionnaires measuring the social adjustment for youth after treatment of childhood cancer. METHODS: Social adjustment measurement tools were identified through a two-stage systematic review. First, we searched for articles using self-report questionnaires to measure the social adjustment of youth after the treatment of childhood cancer. The appropriate tools were listed and categorized. Second, using methodological filters, we searched 5 electronic databases for articles examining the measurement properties of the tools when used with youth after the treatment of childhood cancer. The quality of these papers was then evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. RESULTS: Eight tools were frequently used to measure social adjustment. Eight studies investigated the measurement properties of 4 of these tools. The PedsQL 4.0 and MMQL-AF had moderate to strong evidence in some domains, but the rest of the domains had a lack of evidence. The SF-36 and KIDSCREEN-27 were validated for only a few areas. CONCLUSION: We found a lack of evidence regarding the measurement properties of these tools. More research is required on the measurement properties of tools for use in this population.