A qualitative study of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors’ perceptions of family and peer support

This qualitative study examined adolescent and young adult survivors’ perceptions of support from family and peers. A total of 26 survivors, aged 16–24 years, who had been diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 14 and 18, participated in semi-structured interviews. Three themes emerged for suppor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health psychology 2020-04, Vol.25 (5), p.713-726
Main Authors: McDonnell, Glynnis A, Shuk, Elyse, Ford, Jennifer S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Cancer
Cancer Survivors - psychology
Closeness
Emotional support
Family - psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Peer Group
Peer tutoring
Perceptions
Qualitative Research
Social Perception
Social Support
Support networks
Survivor
Young Adult
Young adults
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Summary:This qualitative study examined adolescent and young adult survivors’ perceptions of support from family and peers. A total of 26 survivors, aged 16–24 years, who had been diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 14 and 18, participated in semi-structured interviews. Three themes emerged for support: practical support, emotional support, and new sense of closeness. For lack of support, two themes emerged: absence during treatment and lack of understanding about appearance changes. These findings emphasize the perceived importance of family and peer support throughout adolescent and young adults’ cancer trajectories and indicate a need for interventions to help adolescent and young adult develop and maintain support networks throughout treatment and survivorship.
ISSN:1359-1053
1461-7277
DOI:10.1177/1359105318769366