Journal
CANCER
Volume 117, Issue 10, Pages 2289-2294Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/cncr.26056
Keywords
psychosocial; quality of life; intervention; social support
Categories
Funding
- Health Canada through the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
- C17
- Advisory Board of the Institute for Cancer Research at the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
- CIHR
- Terry Fox Research Institute
- LIVESTRONG, formerly the Lance Armstrong Foundation
- Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute
- Young Adult Cancer Canada
- Hope and Cope
- Comprehensive Cancer Centre at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
- Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Theories of human development suggest that, although all cancer patients experience a common set of life disruptions, they experience them differently, focus on different issues, and attach different levels of importance to different aspects of the experience depending on the time in life at which they were diagnosed. During the critical developmental transition from childhood to adulthood, older adolescents and young adults in particular have typical concerns with establishing identity, developing a positive body image and sexual identity, separating from parents, increasing involvement with peers and dating, and beginning to make decisions about careers or employment, higher education, and/or family. Accordingly, cancer-related issues such as premature confrontation with mortality, changes in physical appearance, increased dependence on parents, disruptions in social life and school/employment because of treatment, loss of reproductive capacity, and health-related concerns about the future may be particularly distressing for adolescents and young adults. Psychosocial and behavioral interventions for young adult cancer patients and survivors often involve assisting these individuals in retaining or returning to function in significant social roles, such as spouse, parent, student, worker, or friend. Successful interventions will enable these young people to overcome the detrimental impact of a health crisis and strengthen the internal and external coping resources available to them. Cancer 2011;117(10 suppl):2289-94. (C) 2011 American Cancer Society.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available