Exploration of Post-traumatic growth and post-traumatic stress in teenage and young adult cancer survivors

Abstract

Adolescence and young adulthood is a time of significant change and development and a diagnosis of cancer can have destabilising psychological effects. It has also been reported that some patients report positive psychological effects, known as posttraumatic growth (PTG). This thesis begins with a review of the current literature investigating factors that may influence the development of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and PTG in teenage and young adult cancer (TYA). The review identified 12 papers revealed that young people have the potential to experience PTS and PTG, and considered the impact of cancer diagnosis, staging and treatment and found variable results. The findings varied in the included studies, and further research would be required in order to explore factors that influence PTG and PTG in TYA cancer. The second chapter describes the empirical study which used a cross sectional design of 93 TYA cancer survivors. The study aimed to explore PTS and PTG in this population and the impact of rumination in the relationship between the variables. No differences were found in demographic variables. Patients who received chemotherapy reported higher PTG than other treatment types. Intrusive rumination was correlated with higher PTS scores, and deliberate rumination was correlated with higher PTG scores. Parental coping was also considered. The findings support the presence of PTG and PTS and that the type of rumination is a predictor of their occurrence. Clinical implications, limitations and future areas of research are discussed.

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