The role of peer support in psychosocial outcomes among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e22528-e22528
Author(s):  
Motohiro Matsui ◽  
Kanako Taku ◽  
Rina Tsutsumi ◽  
Midori Ueno ◽  
Mayuri Seto ◽  
...  

e22528 Background: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) who experienced cancer treatment sometimes show posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and yet report positive psychological changes, known as posttraumatic growth (PTG). Literature suggests PTSS and PTG are not on opposite ends of a single spectrum but rather coexist. It is expected to have distinct relationships with social support, and yet, the roles of peer support remain unknown. This study examines PTG and PTSS, and their correlates with peer support among AYA cancer survivors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire survey with AYA cancer survivors. A total of 212 AYA survivors were recruited from 11 cancer centers and 12 cancer patients’ communities. They completed a self-report measure of the PTG Inventory and the Impact of Event Scale revised (IES-R) to assess PTSS. Diagnosis, treatment, peer support (i.e., affiliation to AYA patients’ community and friendship with other AYA cancer patients), and social status information was also collected from questionnaires. A series of multiple regression analyses was used to identify significant correlates among peer support, PTG and PTSS. Results: PTG and PTSS were not significantly correlated with each other, being consistent with the previous studies. PTG was positively associated with male gender, years since diagnosis, good communication with others, and friendship with other AYA cancer patients. Friendship with other AYA cancer patients was positively associated with not just the overall PTG but all five domains of PTG. PTSS was associated with years since diagnosis, unemployed status, and symptom of late effects. PTSS was, however, unlike PTG, not related with friendship with other AYA cancer patients or affiliation to AYA patients’ community. Conclusions: Good communication and friendship with other AYA cancer patients is suggested to play an important role in PTG but not PTSS. Psychosocial intervention to facilitate peer support among AYA cancer patients would possibly contribute to revive their lives through PTG. Future studies should further investigate what factors would contribute to alleviation of PTSS and foster PTG. Clinical trial information: UMIN000035439.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal Park ◽  
Sinead Sinnott

Posttraumatic growth has garnered increasing interest as a potential positive consequence of traumatic events and illnesses. However, scientific investigations have yet to demonstrate the validity of self-reports of posttraumatic growth. The most common measure used to assess this construct is the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI); however, the extent to which the PTGI (as well as other self-report measures of perceived posttraumatic growth; PPTG) assess actual positive change remains unknown. The present study aimed to examine the validity of PPTG measures. We assessed 83 adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors at two time points, one year apart. We measured the stability of PTGI from T1 to T2, correlated three measures of PPTG that used different methods (only positive, positive or negative, positive and negative change) with wellbeing measures, and compared PTGI scores with changes in psychosocial resources. PTGI scores were stable over time. More nuanced measures of PPTG appeared to capture more perceived change, although no measure of PPTG was favorably related to wellbeing. Finally, PTGI did not correlate with change in psychosocial resources, with the exception of spirituality. Overall, our results suggest that measures of PPTG do not capture actual positive changes experienced by AYA cancer survivors.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motohiro Matsui ◽  
Kanako Taku ◽  
Rina Tsutsumi ◽  
Midori Ueno ◽  
Mayuri Seto ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Adolescents and young adults (AYA) who undergo cancer treatment sometimes report posttraumatic growth (PTG) and experience posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Although the importance of peer support has been demonstrated, its association with PTG, especially in the five, distinct domains of PTG, needs to be investigated further in AYA cancer survivors. The present study examined the role of demographics, peer support, and PTSS in PTG among AYA cancer patients and survivors. MethodsThe present, multicenter, cross-sectional, prospective, web-based study enrolled AYA cancer patients and survivors (median age 28 years). Of 549 AYA patients recruited, 212 patients from 11 cancer centers and 12 cancer patient communities agreed to participate by completing a self-reported measure of PTG (PTGIX-J) and providing information about their diagnosis, treatment, peer support (affiliation with an AYA patient community or friendship with other AYA cancer patients), social status, and PTSS. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify significant correlates in the total score and five PTG domains. ResultsIn general, PTG was positively associated with male sex, years since diagnosis, having a confidant, and friendship with other AYA cancer patients. PTG was not significantly related to age, age at diagnosis, affiliation to an AYA patient community or PTSS. Friendship with other AYA cancer patients was positively associated with all five PTG subscales. PTSS was not associated with PTG but was associated with a subscale of “appreciation of life”. For the five subscale scores, “belonging to a religion” was positively associated with “spiritual change,” and “having a confidant” and “a good relationship with siblings” were positively associated with “appreciation of life.” Conclusion “Having a confidant” and “friendship with other AYA cancer patients” was positively associated with PTG. Psychosocial interventions mobilizing peer support can potentially contribute to promoting PTG in AYA cancer patients.


Author(s):  
Maria Sarapultseva ◽  
Alena Zolotareva ◽  
Igor Kritsky ◽  
Natal’ya Nasretdinova ◽  
Alexey Sarapultsev

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection has increased the risk of mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), and healthcare workers (HCWs) are at greater risk than other occupational groups. This observational cross-sectional study aimed to explore the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD among dental HCWs in Russia during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The survey was carried out among 128 dental HCWs from three dental clinics of Ekaterinburg, Russia. The mean age of the sample was 38.6 years. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21); PTSD was assessed using the PTSD Symptom Scale-Self-Report (PSS-SR); subjective distress was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). The results indicated that 20.3–24.2% HCWs had mild to extremely severe symptoms of psychological distress, and 7.1–29.7% had clinical symptoms of PTSD. No differences between females and males were revealed. HCWs working directly with patients had significantly higher levels of PTSD symptoms and the risk of PTSD development compared to those working indirectly, whereas older HCWs had significantly higher levels of both psychological distress and PTSD symptoms compared to younger HCWs. Thus, dental HCWs are at high risk for psychological distress and PTSD symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 142-142
Author(s):  
C. Carmassi ◽  
C. Socci ◽  
M. Corsi ◽  
I. Pergentini ◽  
E. Massimetti ◽  
...  

IntroductionAround 9–20% of bereaved individuals experience symptoms of complicated grief (CG) associated with significant distress and impairment. Increasing research has been focused on identifying the distinctive set of psychiatric symptoms that characterize this condition with respect to major depression, corroborating the need to include this syndrome in the forthcoming DSM-V as a distinctive diagnosis. Vulnerability to CG has been rooted in attachment disturbances and authors reported that symptoms of separation anxiety in childhood should be considered as predictors of CG onset in adulthood.ObjectivesTo date no study explored symptoms of adult separation anxiety among patients with CG with respect to healthy control subjects (HC).AimsTo explore adult separation anxiety and mood spectrum symptoms in patients with CG with respect to HC.Methods53 patients with CG and 50 control subjects were recruited, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pisa. Assessments: SCID-I/P, the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), the Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the Mood Spectrum-Self Report (MOODS-SR) lifetime version.ResultsPatients with CG reported significantly higher scores on the MOODS-SR, ASA_27, IES and WSAS with respect to controls. The scores on the ASA_27 were more strongly associated with IES scores with respect to other scales.ConclusionsOur results suggest a correlation between adult separation anxiety and CG onset after the loss of a loved one in adulthood, with a possible correlation to a post-traumatic stress symptomatology. Further studies are needed.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 9-10
Author(s):  
Kevin E Todd ◽  
Meghan E Mcgrady ◽  
Anne Blackmore ◽  
Carrie Hennessey ◽  
Lori Luchtman-Jones

Background: Medication nonadherence rates as high as 50-75% have been widely reported in children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions. Anticoagulation nonadherence is associated with increased morbidity and mortality from hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications, reported mostly in older adult populations. As direct oral anticoagulant use increases, it is critical that pediatric clinicians understand the prevalence, adverse sequelae, and predictors of nonadherence for various anticoagulants prescribed for children and young adults to facilitate self-management in this population. To begin to address these critical knowledge gaps, this study explored the frequency of reported barriers to anticoagulation adherence and the relationship between reported barriers and adherence among a cohort of children and young adults who were prescribed anticoagulants through a pediatric thrombosis clinic. Methods: Data for this abstract were collected as part of a quality improvement (QI) initiative in the pediatric thrombosis clinic from May 2019 to November 2019. This QI initiative included the administration of a self-report measure which asked families to rate the presence/absence of 19 barriers to adherence and respond to two items assessing adherence ("How many anticoagulation doses did you/your child miss in the past 7 days?"; "Did you/your child miss any anticoagulation doses in the past month?"). Patients aged > 10 years (yr.) and/or their caregivers (for patients 0-17 yr.) visiting the clinic for anticoagulation follow-up completed the measure. With IRB approval, results from 161 anonymous measures from 130 families (n = 37 caregivers; n = 62 patients; n = 31 patient/caregiver dyads) were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the most frequent barriers, rates of adherence, and concordance of barriers within patient/caregiver dyads. Linear regression was used to explore relationships between barriers and adherence after controlling for medication administration type (injections versus oral). To ensure only one measure per family was included in this analysis, the regression was run on the subset of measures completed by caregivers of children < 18 yr. and patients ≥ 18 yr. (n = 105 [37 caregivers + 62 patients + 31 caregivers from patient/caregivers dyad = 130 families; 130 - 25 families with missing adherence data = 105 families]). Results: Of 161 reporters, 120 reported at least 1 barrier. The most common barriers were medication side effects (n = 44), alterations in lifestyle secondary to medication (n = 44) and forgetting to take the medications (n = 37). The distributions of barriers by reporter and medication type are illustrated in Figure 1. Of 31 dyads, 26 reported 1 or more barriers. Only 6 caregiver/child dyads reported the same set of barriers. The remaining 77% (n = 20) of caregivers endorsed different barriers than their children. On average, patients and caregivers reported 1.85 barriers (SD = 1.95, range 0 - 10) and that they/their child took 96% of prescribed doses (SD= 9%, range = 71 - 100%). The linear regression was significant (F(2, 102) = 4.19, p = 0.02, R2 = 0.08). After controlling for medication type (p = 0.06), a greater number of barriers was significantly associated with lower adherence (t = -2.63, p = 0.01). Every one unit increase in total barriers (1 additional barrier reported) was associated with a decrease of .26% in adherence. Discussion: Although self-reported adherence was high, 75% of patients and caregivers reported 1 or more barriers to adherence. A greater number of barriers is associated with lower adherence, regardless of medication route, suggesting that addressing reported barriers might improve adherence. The spectrum of reported barriers was diverse, differing even within patient and caregiver dyads. Therefore, it is important to evaluate both patients and caregivers to fully assess the burden of barriers. Future studies are needed to evaluate the impact of addressing barriers and the relationship between anticoagulation adherence, barriers, and health outcomes. Figure 1 Disclosures Luchtman-Jones: Corgenix: Other: Provided discounted kits for study; Accriva Diagnostics: Other: Provided kits for study.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 11-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janey James ◽  
Natalie Coppa ◽  
Alexandra Rosenberg ◽  
Juan P. Wisnivesky ◽  
Jenny J Lin

11 Background: Few studies have evaluated the impact of stress on diabetes self- management among cancer survivors. We undertook this study to assess factors associated medication adherence and diabetes self-management in a cohort of diabetic patients with recently-diagnosed early-stage cancer. Methods: We recruited diabetes patients recently diagnosed with early-stage breast, prostate, lung or colorectal cancer on at least one oral hypoglycemic agent and used the Impact of Event Scale (IES) to assess the subjective distress caused by cancer. The 15-item IES consists of 2 subscales assessing avoidant and intrusive feelings about cancer. We measured medication adherence using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, and diabetes self-management behaviors were evaluated using the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities. Participants were surveyed at baseline and after 3 months. Descriptive and univariate analyses were used to assess baseline factors associated with diabetes self-management at 3 months. Results: Of the 36 participants recruited to date, 20 (56%) were male. At baseline, 70% reported adherence to their diabetes medications which dropped to 63% at 3 months. There were no gender differences between IES scores at baseline; however, at 3 months women were more stressed (p = 0.02) and had more intrusive thoughts (p = 0.005) about cancer. Higher baseline total IES scores were associated with lack of a general healthy diet (p = 0.01). Patients who had trouble falling asleep from thoughts about cancer felt more hassled sticking to their diabetes medication treatment at 3 months (p = 0.02). Those who had dreams about cancer (p = 0.007) and those who tried to stay away from reminders about cancer (p = 0.04) were more likely to forget their diabetes medications when travelling. Lastly, patients who felt that the cancer wasn’t real were more likely to have difficulty remembering to take medications (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Cancer survivors with comorbid diabetes who have higher stress are less likely to follow a healthy diet and more likely to report trouble with taking their diabetes medications. Providers should be aware of the impact of stress caused by cancer to better support diabetes self-management among early cancer survivors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 463-463
Author(s):  
Pauline Filippou ◽  
Sean McCabe ◽  
Hannah McCloskey ◽  
Kathryn Gessner ◽  
Judy Hamad ◽  
...  

463 Background: Quality of life among cancer survivors has been shown to vary by age. Our objective was to evaluate differences in general and bladder cancer-specific quality of life based on age among a large cross-sectional bladder cancer cohort. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of bladder cancer patients using the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Patient Survey Network and Inspire platforms to determine general and bladder cancer-specific quality of life (QOL) using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and Bladder Cancer Index. Patients were also queried regarding demographic, socioeconomic and clinical characteristics. We present descriptive statistics and a multiple linear regression model to identify factors independently associated with QOL domain score. Results: 972 respondents self-identified as patients with bladder cancer, of whom 41% were female and 97 % were white. The mean age was 67.6 years (range 29 to 93 years). Respondents were highly educated (67% completed college). 63% of patients identified as having non-invasive (NMIBC) cancer (n=578), 30% had MIBC (n=270), and 7% had metastatic bladder cancer (n=63). On multivariable analysis, older age was significantly associated with better generic QOL and urinary function ( Table), but not sexual function (p=0.19) or bowel function (p=0.73), controlling for sex, race, stage, comorbidity and years since diagnosis. Conclusions: Higher general and domain-specific QOL scores are more common among older bladder cancer patients. Differential impact by age may be important for the development of tailored interventions to improve QOL for bladder cancer patients. [Table: see text]


Author(s):  
Wenny Savitri ◽  
Masta Hutasoit

Information for cancer patients is significant to overcome a cancer diagnosis and its treatment, affecting patients' quality of life. This study aimed to assess the level of satisfaction with the information on illness treatment among Indonesian cancer survivors, explore its association with the patients' demographic and health-related characteristics, and provide recommendations and improve the information. Sixty adult cancer survivors at the oncology unit of Panembahan Senopati Bantul Hospital of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, were recruited in a cross-sectional study design completing a demographic and health-related data form and the Satisfaction with Cancer Information Profile Questionnaire. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics and path analysis. Most patients were dissatisfied with the amount and content of cancer information provided by health care ranging from 12-67%, particularly on the information regarding managing unwanted-side effects of the treatment and the impact of their cancer treatment on long-term quality of life. The patients were also discontented with the detail of information, the timing,  and the usefulness of information to others. Demographic and health-related characteristics directly influence the patients' satisfaction of information (β= 0.461, p = 0.045). Patients who were divorced, not living with their spouses, and diagnosed with cancer for a longer time (more than two years) were the significant contributors to directly influencing their satisfaction. Nurses need to enhance the detail of information, find the best time to provide and design a better way to deliver cancer patients' information.


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