Feasibility and Acceptability of an Online Problem-Solving Therapy Intervention for Adolescent and Young Adult Brain Tumor Survivors

Objective: To describe the preliminary feasibility and acceptability of a web-based, problem-solving intervention for adolescent and young adult pediatric brain tumor survivors. Methods: With feedback from survivors and stakeholders, we created "A Survivor's Journey" by modifying an existing problem-solving intervention for traumatic brain injury. Survivors (ages 13-25) were recruited from a pediatric survivorship clinic and were eligible if they had self or caregiver-reported psychosocial difficulties. A Survivor's Journey has four core sessions (i.e., introduction, problem-solving, positive thinking, memory) and up to seven supplemental sessions. Each session involved web content and videoconferencing with a doctoral-level therapist. We analyzed postintervention data related to feasibility (i.e., enrollment and completion rates), as well as survivor's ratings of satisfaction and usability of the intervention. Results: Nineteen survivors (Mage = 17.57), half of eligible participants, agreed to participate, and 95% of those enrolled completed at least the core sessions. Overall, survivors rated the intervention favorably on usability and satisfaction. Survivors who had borderline to impaired IQ or who were treated with cranial radiation reported higher satisfaction, suggesting that the intervention is appealing even for high-risk groups. Conclusions: Online problem-solving therapy could be a promising therapeutic approach for survivors of pediatric brain tumor, given the relatively high satisfaction and usability ratings. However, improving enrollment and examining treatment efficacy should be addressed in future work. Implications for Impact Statement Survivors of pediatric brain tumor may have late effects from their cancer and its treatment including difficulties with learning, anxiety, or depression. Results from our pilot study suggest that a problem-solving intervention delivered online is both feasible and acceptable to adolescent and young adult survivors. Providing psychosocial services online may be a promising avenue for accessible, evidence-based care for this population.