Characteristics of Adolescent Cancer Survivors Who Pursue Postsecondary Education

Abstract

This study aimed to identify differences between adolescent cancer survivors who participate in postsecondary education and those who do not, as well as factors that helped these survivors to cope. American College Testing records for 129,824 adolescents were meshed with Iowa's Cancer Registry to identify Iowans who had received a diagnosis of cancer between the ages of 12 and 17 years. The potential subject pool contained 85 persons. A questionnaire was sent to the 28 persons who agreed to participate in the study, and 75% responded. Most of the respondents were girls with normal levels of physical function. Measures of adjustment and mood state indicated low distress levels. Fatigue was their area of highest distress. All the respondents were enrolled in education programs or had graduated. Help from family, friends, and teachers was seen as supportive, but lack of knowledge about their disease was cited most frequently by this same group as interfering with their coping. The respondents demonstrated more discipline, stamina, and commitment than was expected. However, the accrual protocol and respondents' comments revealed a stigmatization of patients with cancer by professional health workers, indicating a need to confront the value that health professionals place on this stigmatized population and health professionals' contribution to this societal posture.

Teenage and Young Adult Cancer-Related Fatigue Is Prevalent, Distressing, and Neglected: It Is Time to Intervene. A Systematic Literature Review and Narrative Synthesis

“…[17][18][19]23,33,34,37,[39][40][41][42][43]48,55,68,72,73,[80][81][82][83][84] Distress caused by fatigue was the most commonly described impact, reported in 11 studies. The MSAS, a scale that allows comparison of the level of distress caused by each symptom, was used in six of these studies.…”

“…17 One study reported that distress was correlated with the frequency and severity of fatigue. 34 The remaining five studies used diverse measures of distress, 40,43,55,82,83 and fatigue was one of the top four most distressing conditions in four of these studies. 40,43,82,83 The second-most frequently described impact of fatigue was that it was a barrier to physical activity or exercise, which was reported in six studies.…”

“…34 The remaining five studies used diverse measures of distress, 40,43,55,82,83 and fatigue was one of the top four most distressing conditions in four of these studies. 40,43,82,83 The second-most frequently described impact of fatigue was that it was a barrier to physical activity or exercise, which was reported in six studies. 18,23,42,80,81,84 Fatigue was the first- 80 and second-most 84 significant barrier in one study each.…”

The lived experience of fatigue in children and adolescents with cancer: a systematic review

“…It affects children and adolescents with cancer at all stages of the disease trajectory from diagnosis to survivorship and the end-of-life period [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Fatigue has physical, mental, and emotional components and may be characterized by a lack of energy, decreased physical ability, and feelings of tiredness.…”

Development and evaluation of an educational interactive CD‐ROM for teens with cancer

“…It has also been found that adolescents worry that information is withheld from them; inadequate information is regarded as the second most important problem after physical symptoms caused by illness 7. In a questionnaire study, Griffith and Hart 8 identified the factors that helped adolescent survivors cope, and one important factor was to take part in decision‐making concerning their care.…”