Social cognition in adult survivors of brain tumors: studying the relationship between theory of mind and quality of life

ABSTRACT

Objective

The present study is the first to examine theory of mind (ToM) sequelae in a sample of adult survivors of primary brain tumors, and to investigate the assumed relationship between ToM and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Method

Participants were 40 long-term adult survivors of primary brain tumors and 40 matched healthy controls. They completed ToM tests (Faux-Pas test and Advanced ToM task) and two questionnaires assessing HRQoL (36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-BN20). Their relatives also completed an observer-rated version of the SF-36 questionnaire.

Results

Survivors performed worse than controls only on the Advanced ToM task. Overall, patients and caregivers reported more problems than healthy controls and their relatives regarding both global HRQoL and its social/emotional aspects. No relationship was found between ToM and HRQoL scores.

Conclusion

Adult survivors of primary brain tumors may exhibit ToM deficits several years after treatment and report more problems on social/emotional HRQoL components. Our findings highlight the need to consider these late effects in survivors’ long-term follow-up, even if the clinical involvement of ToM deficits still needs to be elucidated. The assessment of ToM deficits and their potential impact on survivors’ everyday life is thoroughly discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Social cognition
• theory of mind
• primary brain tumor
• survivorship
• Health-related quality of life

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the participants, families, and informants for their implications in this study. We warmly thank Elizabeth Portier for her English language editing assistance and Alexandre Laurent for his contribution to the statistical analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability of material

The datasets generated and/or analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request, after signing a confidentiality statement and a data-sharing agreement.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all the participants included in the study.

Consent for publication

Participants signed an informed consent form regarding the publication of their data. Participants acknowledged that they cannot be identified via this article, and their data were fully anonymized.

Ethics approval

The present study was performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. It received French regulatory ethical approval (Comité de Protection des Personnes Ouest II, no. 2015/27, ID-RCB no. 2015-A01192-47) and international review board authorization (no. NCT02693405). Angers University Hospital backed the study.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), under grant number [SHSESP14- 14-041].