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Young adult patients with cancer lack psychosocial support
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A substantial number of adolescents and young adults with cancer do not receive sufficient psychological and social support, according to study results.
Adolescents and young adults — defined by researchers in this study as patients aged 14 to 39 years — have different psychosocial needs and pose a distinct set of challenges compared with pediatric and adult patients with cancer.
The lack of research related to those patients’ needs make it difficult for health care professionals to establish age-appropriate services to meet them, researchers said.
“When [adolescents and young adults] are diagnosed with cancer, issues like premature confrontation with mortality, changes in physical appearance, disruptions in school or work, increased dependence on parents, financial challenges, loss of reproductive capacity and health-related concerns about the future are particularly distressing.” Bradley J. Zebrack, PhD, MSW, MPH, associate professor of social work at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, said in a press release.
Many adolescent and young adult patients are not getting the care they need to properly address these needs, Zebrack and colleagues concluded.
The researchers surveyed 215 adolescents and young adults with cancer from March 2008 to April 2010.
The surveys — conducted within 4 months of initial diagnosis — evaluated the patients’ desire for and use of various information resources, practical support services and emotional support services. Patients were divided into three age groups: 14 to 19 years, 20 to 29 years, and 30 to 39 years. They also were divided by whether they were treated in pediatric (n=97 patients) or adult (n=111 patients) oncology settings.
Seven patients were omitted from the analysis.
Patients in their 20s were significantly less likely than teens and patients in their 30s to report using mental health services (OR=4.93; 95% CI, 1.71-14.15), according to study results.
Patients in their 20s also were more likely to report an unmet need for information about cancer (OR=8.24; 95% CI, 2.18-31.13), infertility (OR=4.04; 95% CI, 1.41-11.59) and diet/nutrition (OR=2.73; 95% CI, 1.08-6.91).
The unmet need for mental health services increased as adolescents and young adults reported more treatment-related symptoms, study results showed.
“This finding suggests a critical deficiency around the availability or accessibility of psychosocial support when cumulative, treatment-related symptoms may be contributing to high levels of distress,” Zebrack and colleagues wrote.
Compared with teens treated in the pediatric setting, young adults in the adult setting were more likely to report unmet needs for information about age-appropriate Internet sites, mental health services, camp and retreat programs, transportation assistance, and complementary and alternative health services, according to the survey findings.
“Our research shows increasing patient referral to community-based social service agencies and reputable Internet resources can enhance the care and improve the quality of life for this group of patients,” Zebrack said in the press release. “The more we know about their needs, the better support health care professionals will be able to provide.”
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