Psychosocial Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults Diagnosed with Cancer During Adolescence: A Critical Review

Abstract

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) face individual and social challenges different to other age groups that shape their experience of cancer and the associated psychological distress. This critical review examined the availability of AYA-specific psychosocial interventions to assess the impact they have and identify elements that make them successful. Five literature databases were searched for psychosocial intervention studies involving AYAs with cancer, on and off treatment, aged 10-30 years, published between 1980 and 2016. Eleven out of 42 identified studies were included in the final review after quality assessment. All but two interventions showed positive results on at least one measure of psychosocial well-being. A distinctive difference between the supportive needs of those on and off treatment was noted, and differences in intervention design and delivery formats were identified between the two subgroups. Analysis of specific intervention characteristics that achieved the successful outcomes was more challenging due to the large variation in outcome measures used. This review demonstrates that psychosocial intervention research for AYA with cancer is increasing and the results show a potential benefit of intervention participation. Further work is needed to validate whether the benefits achieved by intervention participation remain over time.

Hope, distress, and later quality of life among adolescent and young adults with cancer

“…Although psychosocial intervention research for AYAs with cancer is increasing, optimal targets for intervention design are unclear. 20 Concurrent focus on promoting positive psychological resources may hold more promise.…”

Promoting resilience in adolescents and young adults with cancer: Results from the PRISM randomized controlled trial

“…Although the need for targeted psychosocial care for AYAs with cancer is well established, few interventions have been evaluated in randomized controlled trials. 23 Hence, we developed and demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of a novel, developmentally appropriate, brief, skills-based psychosocial intervention targeting resilience resources: Promoting Resilience in Stress Management (PRISM). 24,25 In this randomized controlled trial, we aimed to determine whether PRISM improved psychosocial outcomes in comparison with psychosocial usual care (UC).…”

The Information Security Organization

“…While enhancing TYA well-being during treatment is therefore a valid outcome in its own right, it is also thought to have the additional potential e ect of increasing the capacity for future well-being as a young person learns new ways of coping with illness and treatment-related challenges. Psychosocial interventions to promote well-being in the early stages of treatment may therefore assist with longerterm coping and the development of resilience, defined as a process for identifying and developing resources and strengths to manage inevitable stressors 243,244 . It is in this context that the promotion of young people's well-being and resilience are considered key healthcare goals.…”