Associations of practical, emotional, and physical problems with psychosocial distress among cancer patients.

Implications for Psychosocial ResearchThis study found that NCCN Distress Thermometer distress levels and problem counts are highly correlated in most cancer patients.In addition to distress level, problem count on NCCN Distress Thermometer should be considered a potential trigger for psychosocial intervention.NCCN Distress Thermometer problem count may be a more durable indicator of need for psychosocial intervention then distress level alone. Psychosocial problems are rarely transient, while distress level can fluctuate day-to-day.Future research should examine the role of psychosocial problems on continuous distress scores and the relative contribution of each set of problem types on distress.