Prediction of Distress in the First Six Months After a Cancer Diagnosis

Abstract

The article describes a prospective study of the Omega Screening Instrument (OSI) as a tool to predict subsequent emotional distress in newly diagnosed cancer patients in semirural west Texas. The measure of subsequent emotional distress was the Total Mood Disturbance score from the Profile of Mood States. The OSI was predictive of later mood disturbance in the patients, but not as accurately as in Boston, where the OSI was developed. Even though the patient population in west Texas differed in many ways from the population of the original Omega Project, the authors believe that the OSI will be useful in selecting high-risk patients for a psychosocial intervention study.