TABLE II.
Summary of Demographic Data, Decisions, and/or Treatment Preferences of Adolescents by Group (Scoliosis or Surrogate)
| Adolescent Comparisons
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Scoliosis (N = 24) | Surrogate (N = 66) | P Value |
| Average age (and standard deviation) (yr) | 13.39 (1.46) | 11.89 (1.64) | 0.0004 |
| Female | 18 (75%) | 29 (44%) | 0.02 |
| Agree to participate | 7 (29%) | 36 (55%) | 0.06 |
| Reason for agreeing | 0.68 | ||
| Physician suggestion | 1 | 2 (6%) | |
| Find best treatment | 6 | 22 (61%) | |
| No preference | 6 (17%) | ||
| Parent and/or child would like it | 3 (8%) | ||
| Other | 3 (8%) | ||
| Refuse to participate | 17 | 30 | |
| Reason for refusing* | 0.66 | ||
| Make own decision | 7 | 8 (29%) | |
| Parent and/or child should decide | 1 | 1 (4%) | |
| Physician should decide | 3 | 4 (14%) | |
| Share decision | 6 | 15 (54%) | |
| Preference for treatment | 24 | 66 | 0.54 |
| Yes | 19 (79%) | 37 (56%) | |
| No | 0 | 9 (14%) | |
| Don't know | 5 (21%) | 20 (30%) | |
| Prefer observation | 15 | 26 (70%) | 0.15 |
| Strength of preference† | |||
| Slightly | 1 | 2 | 0.22 |
| Somewhat | 5 | 8 | |
| Strongly | 10 | 4 | |
*
Two responses specifying the reason for refusing were missing in the surrogate group.
†
The ten to twelve-year-old group did not answer this question. Of the fifty-six subjects with a preference, thirty were in the older group and therefore answered the question. Twenty-six subjects were not presented with the strength question.