First-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with melanoma may be among the first to seek melanoma genetic risk information.¹ Testing may subsequently prompt useful discussions regarding melanoma risk, early detection, and prevention with multiple family members. To explore this potential, this study examined the intended discussions of FDRs of patients with melanoma with diverse family members after receiving hypothetical melanoma genetic risk feedback information.

Background: Youth with life‐limiting conditions face significant psychosocial challenges (e.g., symptoms of anxiety, depression, and pain) throughout illness and treatment. Without appropriate intervention, this can negatively affect long‐term outcomes (e.g., disease management, health‐related quality of life). Prompt identification and appropriate attention to distress can mitigate these effects. We aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of distress interference among outpatient youth with cancer and other life‐limiting conditions, using the Checking IN screener. Procedure: Within a larger study across four hospital centers, English‐speaking pediatric outpatients aged 8–21, and a caregiver‐proxy‐reporter, completed a brief distress screener. Descriptive analyses were used to characterize the sample and evaluate reported distress symptoms. Results: Checking IN was completed by 100 participants, aged 8–21 ( M = 14.27, SD = 3.81); caregivers completed an equivalent proxy screener. Youth most frequently endorsed fatigue (moderate: n = 50, 50.0%; high: n = 21, 21.0%), paying attention (moderate: n = 45, 45.0%; high: n = 16, 16.0%), and sleep difficulty (moderate: n = 46, 46.0%; high: n = 13; 13.0%) as problematic. Caregivers proxy reported fatigue (moderate: n = 46, 46.0%; high: n = 32, 32.0%), worry (moderate: n = 56, 56.0%; high: n = 10, 10.0%), and sleep difficulty (moderate: n = 47, 47.0%; high: n = 14; 14.0%) as most problematic. Group differences between youth and caregiver responses were not significant. Conclusions: Youth self‐report via Checking IN can detect psychosocial distress interference. By directing resources based on real‐time assessment of symptom interference, there is potential to simplify outpatient psychosocial screening and improve referral timeliness and specificity, thus allowing for more effective attention to evolving symptoms of distress.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic condition affecting 1 in 3000 individuals. Having a child with a chronic illness can introduce both practical and emotional challenges to a parental relationship. This cross-sectional study was administered to 50 parents of children with NF1, diagnosed between the ages of 1–24. Each participant was provided a 50-item self-report survey to complete during an inpatient or outpatient visit. The survey gathered information on the participants’ views of the spouse/partner relationship, coping mechanisms, and elements that supported emotional connections. While the majority of parental relationships were reported to remain strong, the mean relationship quality was perceived to have decreased compared to prior to the child’s diagnosis. Compassionate and open communication, shared perspective, having time alone with their partner outside of medical situations, and dyadic coping were identified as strategies that could strengthen the relationship. The identified stressors to the parental relationship during the NF1 illness trajectory can inform interventions and help guide development of a couple’s intervention. The National Cancer Institute, NIH Institutional Review Board approved this study (12-C-0206).

Objectives: Psychosocial late effects among survivors of pediatric brain tumors are common. For school-aged survivors, social skills deficits and isolation present a particular challenge. Social problem-solving is a social skill that is an important determinant of social outcomes and may yield a potential target for intervention. Methods: School-aged youth (N = 65) 8–12 years of age (10.59 ± 1.36 years; 55.4% female, 86.2% white) who were 5.23 (SD = 2.44, range 2–10.9) years post-treatment for a brain tumor completed the Attributions and Coping Questionnaire, a measure of social problem-solving that uses vignettes to assess attribution of intent, subsequent emotional response, and imagined behavioral response to an interpersonal problem. Youth also completed self-reports of social functioning (PROMIS Peer Relationships, Self-Perception Profile). A caregiver completed additional measures of child social functioning (NIH Toolbox—Emotion Measures). Results: Survivors attributed unpleasant situations to accidental causes (neutral attribution) and responded in ways that prioritized the friendship (appeasement) or relied on adult intervention. Self-reported social functioning was higher among those who were less likely to avoid challenging social problem-solving situations. Conclusions: Findings identified characteristic social problem-solving approaches among survivors, including a tendency to attribute ambiguous situations to accidental causes and to request adult assistance and/or maintain social relationships. This may indicate a possible avenue for intervention, with a focus on increasing survivors’ understanding of the causes of potentially negative peer interactions and reducing their reliance on adults.