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The Utility of Parent Report in the Assessment of Working Memory among Childhood Brain Tumor Survivors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2013

Robyn A. Howarth ,
Jason M. Ashford ,
Thomas E. Merchant ,
Robert J. Ogg ,
Victor Santana ,
Shengjie Wu ,
Xiaoping Xiong  and
Heather M. Conklin
Robyn A. Howarth
Affiliation:
Department of Neuropsychology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
Jason M. Ashford
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
Thomas E. Merchant
Affiliation:
Division of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
Robert J. Ogg
Affiliation:
Division of Translational Imaging Research, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
Victor Santana
Affiliation:
Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
Shengjie Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
Xiaoping Xiong
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
Heather M. Conklin*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Heather M. Conklin, Department of Psychology, Mail Stop #740, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105. E-mail: heather.conklin@stjude.org
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Abstract

Childhood brain tumor survivors are at increased risk for neurocognitive impairments, including working memory (WM) problems. WM is typically assessed using performance measures. Little is known about the value of parent ratings for identifying WM difficulties, the relationship between rater and performance measures, or predictors of parent-reported WM problems in this population. Accordingly, the current study examined the utility of parent report in detecting WM difficulties among childhood brain tumor survivors treated with conformal radiation therapy (n = 50) relative to siblings (n = 40) and solid tumor survivors not receiving central nervous system-directed therapy (n = 40). Parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Participants were administered WM measures (digit span, self-ordered search tasks). Findings revealed parents rated brain tumor survivors as having significantly more WM problems (p < .01) compared to controls. However, the BRIEF-WM scale demonstrated poor sensitivity and specificity for detecting performance-based problems. Significant, albeit modest, correlations were found between the BRIEF-WM scale and performance measures (r = −.24–.22; p < .05) for the combined group. Age at testing, socioeconomic status, and IQ were significant predictors of parent reported WM problems. Rater and performance measures offer complimentary yet different information in assessing WM, which reiterates the importance of using both within the context of clinical assessment. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–10)

Keywords

CancerCognitive late effectsPediatricsBRIEFRater-based measuresExecutive functions
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , April 2013 , pp. 380 - 389
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2013

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