Assessment of Survivor Concerns (ASC): a newly proposed brief questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to design a brief questionnaire to measure fears about recurrence and health in cancer survivors. Research involving fear of recurrence has been increasing, indicating that it is an important concern among cancer survivors.

We developed and tested a six-item instrument, the Assessment of Survivor Concerns (ASC). Construct validity was examined in a multiple group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with 592 short-term and 161 long-term cancer survivors. Convergent and discriminant validity was examined through comparisons with the PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) and the CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression) measures.

CFA models for the ASC with short- and long-term survivors showed good fit, with equivalent structure across both groups of cancer survivors. Convergent and discriminant validity was also supported through analyses of the PANAS and CES-D. One item (children's health worry) did not perform as well as the others, so the models were re-run with the item excluded, and the overall fit was improved.

The ASC showed excellent internal consistency and validity. We recommend the revised five-item instrument as an appropriate measure for assessment of cancer survivor worries.