Social Skills and Peer Relations among Survivors of Pediatric Brain Tumor
Because peer relations and social skills did not differ by radiation type, remaining analyses examined the sample as a whole. As a group, survivors of pediatric brain tumor were rated as having more difficulties with peer relations (M = 57.52, SD = 18.89) relative to the normative mean of 50, t (57) = 3.03, p < 0.01, though increased difficulties were not observed for social skills (M = 50.93, SD = 10.59), t (56) = 0.66, p = 0.51. However, the percentage of participants meeting criteria for impairment in peer relations (27.6%) and social skills (12.1%) exceeded expectation (i.e., 6.68%), (χ2(1) = 38.67, p < 0.001; χ2(1) = 5.63, p < 0.05).
Item level analysis of all six items from the parent-report version of the Conners 3 Peer Relations scale indicated that 22% of pediatric brain tumor survivors are “often” or “very often” not invited to play or go out with others, and 27% are among the last to be selected for team games. Further, parent ratings indicated that 9% of survivors have no friends and do not know how to make friends. On the BASC-3 Social Skills scale, approximately half of survivors (45-51%) were rated as “never” or only “sometimes” demonstrating prosocial social skills such as complimenting others, showing interest in the ideas of others, and volunteering to help others (see Table 4).