O1046: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Patients Showed No Difference in Behavioral and Emotional Distress over a 2 Year Period

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess if behavior and emotional function, as measured by the Pearson Behavioral Assessment Survey for Children (BASC-2) in patients and parents, changed with treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) over time.

Methods: AIS patients and parents, 12-21 years, completed the BASC-2 (176-item validated questionnaire with 16 subscales) at enrollment and after 2 yrs. Treatment groups (bracing, surgery, and observation) were established at enrollment. Exclusion criteria were failure to complete the BASC-2 at both time points. Clinically Significant or At Risk scores were recorded for each subscale of the BASC-2 based on established standards.

Results: 46 patients met inclusion criteria (surgical = 13; bracing= 20; observation=13). At enrollment and 2 years, 26% (12/46) and 24% (11/46) of patients respectively had a Clinically Significant score in at least one subscale (p=0.8). There were no differences in total scores between enrollment and follow-up in any treatment group (p= 0.8). On the corresponding 2 yr parent survey, 64% (7/11) were unaware of their child’s distress.

Patients most commonly had abnormal (Clinically Significant and At Risk) scores at enrollment in Anxiety (24%; 11/46), Hyperactivity (24%; 11/46), Attention Problems (17%; 8/46), and Self-Esteem (17%; 8/46). At 2 years, the most commonly abnormal subscales were Anxiety (28%; 13/46), Somatization (20%; 9/46), and Self-Esteem (30%; 14/46).

Conclusion: Patients with AIS, whether observed, braced or treated surgically, showed no change in behavior and emotional distress over 2 yrs in any treatment group.