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).