Hope, distress, and later quality of life among adolescent and young adults with cancer.

We aimed to explore the predictive value of screening for distress alone, hope alone, or a combination of both. In a multicenter prospective study, 37 English-speaking adolescents and young adults with cancer and 40 parents completed validated instruments at diagnosis ("baseline") and 3-6 months later ("follow-up"). Correlated regression models described associations. Within each instrument, baseline and follow-up scores were associated. However, only a composite hope/distress score predicted all three patient-centered outcomes. Multidimensional screens incorporating positive and negative psychosocial constructs may predict patient-centered outcomes better than isolated, single-construct instruments.