Toward Equitable Access to Psychosocial Screening in Canada: Validation of the French-Canadian Psychosocial Assessment Tool.

Abstract

Objective: The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) is a brief caregiver report, family-centered, psychosocial risk screening tool widely used in pediatrics and available in many languages. Although French is an official language of Canada, a French-Canadian version of the PAT has not yet been validated, which impedes access to this tool for family psychosocial screening. This study aimed to translate, adapt as necessary, and validate the French-Canadian version of the PAT.

Methods: The PAT 3.0 was translated into French using the forward-backwards method. Interviews with healthcare workers (n = 5) and a focus group of parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer (n = 4) led to minor modifications to improve cultural adaptation and comprehensibility. Subsequently, 66 French-speaking parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer participated in a quantitative validation study; completing the French-Canadian PAT and related caregiver measures.

Results: The French-Canadian PAT has an overall internal consistency of KR-20 = 0.64, with subscales ranging from 0.57 to 0.86. The total PAT score significantly correlated with the Distress Thermometer (r = 0.54). Congruent validity was demonstrated for most PAT subscales, except for Family Beliefs and Family Problems. The sample followed this distribution on the Pediatric Psychosocial Preventative Health Model: 21.2% universal, 53% targeted, and 25.8% clinical.

Conclusion: The French-Canadian PAT provides insight into family psychosocial risk. This study is a step toward equitable access to care by providing French-speaking families with access to a tool aligned with the psychosocial standards of care in pediatric oncology. Future research should focus on implementing the PAT in Canadian clinical settings.