Peer-reviewed article
Stress management, mindfulness, and peer support needs among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: a qualitative interview study
Shannon Pui Ying Cheung, Aleena Kuriakose, Gary Kwok ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This qualitative study interviewed 19 adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, all at least one year after treatment, about their daily stress, how they manage it, and their use of mindfulness. The interviews were held over Zoom and analysed by theme. Participants described survivorship as playing a changing role in their identity. They relied on family and friends for support and to keep up coping habits, most often exercise. Many had been introduced to mindfulness by their treatment teams, but few kept using it. More than half said meeting other survivors would create an instant bond. The study frames its participants mainly as people in emerging adulthood, so its fit with child well-being is limited.
Key points
- 19 adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, all at least one year post-treatment, took part in in-depth interviews.
- Three themes emerged: the fluid salience of survivorship for identity and experience; self-management and accountability to maintain stress-reducing habits; and implicit mutual understanding among survivors.
- All participants relied on family and friends for social support and accountability, and exercise was the most common coping strategy.
- Many had been introduced to mindfulness by their treatment teams, but only four continued to use it independently.
- More than half agreed that meeting other survivors, which was rare for them, could create an instant bond.
Limitations
The abstract gives no participants' age range, and the small interview sample (N = 19) cannot show how common these views are. It does not test any intervention, so it cannot say whether peer support or mindfulness would help.
Abstract
Introduction Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYA-CS) make up a distinct, growing oncology patient population that uniquely contends with the challenge of navigating cancer survivorship alongside the typical developmental tasks of emerging adulthood (EA). Though past research has found high levels of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression in this population, AYA-CS remain understudied. Little is known about their personal strategies for coping with stress and their experiences applying evidence-based coping strategies. Methods To fill this gap, we conducted in-depth qualitative semi-structured interviews with AYA-CS ( N = 19), all at least one-year post-treatment, to explore their day-to-day stressors, stress management techniques, and use of mindfulness. Interviews lasted approximately one hour each and were conducted via Zoom videoconferencing. Results Through thematic analysis, three major themes emerged: The fluid salience of survivorship for identity and experience ; Applying self-management and accountability to maintain stress-reducing habits ; and Implicit mutual understanding among AYA-CS . These, with their corresponding subthemes, reflect the dynamic and nuanced ways in which participants, as AYA-CS in EA, construct and understand their identities and lives during survivorship. While the role of survivorship in identity and stress varied, all participants relied on family and friends for social support and to remain accountable to their personal coping strategies, most commonly exercise. Many participants had been previously introduced to mindfulness by their treatment teams, though only four continued to independently use it in their own lives. Finally, more than half agreed that meeting other AYA-CS, which was rare for them, could promote an instant bond and connection that would not otherwise be possible with those their age who had no cancer history. Discussion These findings may be used to inform future intervention development targeted at the specific needs of AYA-CS, who, in this study, demonstrated interest in connecting with peers to share lived experiences and support one another through the unique combination of survivorship and EA. These findings suggest that future peer-supported interventions should be explored and tested.