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This is not part of my life plan’: a qualitative study on the psychosocial experiences and practical challenges in young adults with cancer age 25 to 39 years at diagnosis

This is not part of my life plan’: a qualitative study on the psychosocial experiences and practical challenges in young adults with cancer age 25 to 39 years at diagnosis
This is not part of my life plan’: a qualitative study on the psychosocial experiences and practical challenges in young adults with cancer age 25 to 39 years at diagnosis

Objective: Adolescents and young adults with cancer face unique psychosocial and practical issues. However, patients across this group encounter different life experiences, cancer diagnoses and treatment settings given the tailored services for patients ages 15 to 24. Here, we qualitatively explore the psychosocial experiences and practical challenges of young adults (YAs) with cancer diagnosed between ages 25 and 39 in the United Kingdom. Methods: We invited YAs diagnosed with cancer in the 5 years prior to enrolment at participating sites to take part in semi-structured interviews or focus groups. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Two YA patients reviewed the results to ensure robustness. Results: Sixty-five YAs with varied diagnoses participated. Participants struggled to balance work, childcare and financial solvency with treatment. The halt in family and work life as well as changes in image and ability threatened participants’ identity and perceived ‘normality’ as a YA, however, these also stimulated positive changes. YAs experienced social isolation from friends and family, including children. Many struggled to cope with uncertainty around treatment outcomes and disease recurrence. Conclusion: The disruption of family and work life can lead to age-specific issues in YAs diagnosed with cancer. Age-tailored psychological and practical services must be considered.

AYA, neoplasms, qualitative research, social isolation, uncertainty, young adult
0961-5423
Din, Amy
4ca3c758-ec41-4c76-baf6-95ad788f5336
Lidington, Emma
df6cf457-cdde-4439-90c8-a7122e5615e5
Darlington, Anne-Sophie
472fcfc9-160b-4344-8113-8dd8760ff962
et al.
Din, Amy
4ca3c758-ec41-4c76-baf6-95ad788f5336
Lidington, Emma
df6cf457-cdde-4439-90c8-a7122e5615e5
Darlington, Anne-Sophie
472fcfc9-160b-4344-8113-8dd8760ff962

Lidington, Emma , et al. (2021) This is not part of my life plan’: a qualitative study on the psychosocial experiences and practical challenges in young adults with cancer age 25 to 39 years at diagnosis. European Journal of Cancer Care, 30 (5), [e13458]. (doi:10.1111/ecc.13458).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objective: Adolescents and young adults with cancer face unique psychosocial and practical issues. However, patients across this group encounter different life experiences, cancer diagnoses and treatment settings given the tailored services for patients ages 15 to 24. Here, we qualitatively explore the psychosocial experiences and practical challenges of young adults (YAs) with cancer diagnosed between ages 25 and 39 in the United Kingdom. Methods: We invited YAs diagnosed with cancer in the 5 years prior to enrolment at participating sites to take part in semi-structured interviews or focus groups. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Two YA patients reviewed the results to ensure robustness. Results: Sixty-five YAs with varied diagnoses participated. Participants struggled to balance work, childcare and financial solvency with treatment. The halt in family and work life as well as changes in image and ability threatened participants’ identity and perceived ‘normality’ as a YA, however, these also stimulated positive changes. YAs experienced social isolation from friends and family, including children. Many struggled to cope with uncertainty around treatment outcomes and disease recurrence. Conclusion: The disruption of family and work life can lead to age-specific issues in YAs diagnosed with cancer. Age-tailored psychological and practical services must be considered.

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This is not part of my life plan’ a qualitative study on the psychosocial experiences and practical challenges in young adults with cancer age 25 to 39 years at diagnosis - Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 12 April 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 May 2021
Published date: September 2021
Additional Information: Funding Information: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network provided funding and support and the Dutch Cancer Society supported salary and data collection costs (#KUN2015‐7527). This study represents independent research supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Cancer Research, London. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. European Journal of Cancer Care published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords: AYA, neoplasms, qualitative research, social isolation, uncertainty, young adult

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 448711
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/448711
ISSN: 0961-5423
PURE UUID: 96997ebb-0275-478a-b31c-aac085b4410c

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Date deposited: 30 Apr 2021 16:33
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 06:31

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Contributors

Author: Amy Din
Author: Emma Lidington
Corporate Author: et al.

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