| 1. |
- Ander, Malin, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
-
A preliminary open trial of individualised cognitive behavioural therapy for young survivors of cancer during adolescence: initial findings and conceptualisation of distress
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objective: A subgroup of adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of cancer in adolescence report high levels of psychological distress. Empirically-supported treatments tailored to the concerns experienced by this population are lacking. The aims of this study were to (1) conduct a preliminary evaluation of an individualised cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of cancer during adolescence and (2) identify and conceptualise cancer-related psychological concerns using cognitive-behavioural theory.Methods: A single-arm trial in which ten AYA (17-25 years) survivors of cancer during adolescence were offered up to 15 sessions of individualised CBT guided by behavioural case formulations was undertaken. Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and three months follow-up. Before commencing treatment, two individual qualitative interviews were conducted with each participant. Analysis of cancer-related concerns was guided by qualitative framework analysis and theoretical thematic analysis, and cognitive-behavioural theory was used to inform identification of themes.Results: Ten of 201 potential participants invited to participate were included resulting in an overall participation rate of 5%. Nine participants completed treatment and eight completed the follow-up assessment. The majority of concerns reported were cancer-related and conceptualised as social avoidance, fear and avoidance of emotions and bodily symptoms, low mood and unbalance in activity, and worry and rumination.Conclusions: Given significant difficulties with recruitment, further research is needed to examine barriers and the impact of mental health literacy and stigma on help seeking in the AYA cancer survivor population. Internet-administered CBT self-help tailored towards the main presenting concerns of AYA cancer survivors may be a promising solution.
|
|
| 2. |
- Ander, Malin, 1983-
(författare)
-
Cancer during adolescence : Psychological consequences and development of psychological treatment
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of the present thesis was to examine long-term psychological distress following cancer during adolescence and to develop a tailored psychological intervention to reduce cancer-related distress experienced by young survivors of adolescent cancer that was feasible and acceptable.Study I adopted a longitudinal design, assessing health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and symptoms of anxiety and depression among adolescents diagnosed with cancer from shortly after diagnosis (n=61) up to 10 years after diagnosis (n=28). Findings suggest that development of HRQOL and anxiety and depression is not linear and whilst the majority adjust well, a subgroup report long-term elevated distress. In Study II, experiences of cancer-related psychological distress were explored using unstructured interviews. Participants described cancer treatment as a mental challenge, felt marked and hindered by the cancer experience, and struggled with feelings of inadequacy and insecurity, existential issues, and difficulties handling emotions. Study III was a preliminary investigation of individualised cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), alongside the identification and conceptualisation of cancer-related concerns using cognitive-behavioural theory. Significant difficulties with recruitment were encountered. Participants reported cancer-related concerns conceptualised as social avoidance, fear and avoidance of emotions and bodily symptoms, imbalance in activity, and worry and rumination. In Study IV, the acceptability and feasibility of an internet-administered CBT based self-help intervention (ICBT) for young persons diagnosed with cancer during adolescence was examined using an uncontrolled design and embedded process evaluation. The study protocol for Study IV was included in this thesis along with preliminary findings demonstrating significant difficulties with recruitment.Overall, findings suggest that whilst the majority of survivors of adolescent cancer adjust well over time a subgroup report elevated levels of distress and a range of distressing cancer-related experiences. A number of cancer-related difficulties were identified in Study II and III, which may be used to inform the development of future psychological treatments for the population. Preliminary investigation of the psychological interventions examined within this thesis further highlights the need for future development work to enhance the feasibility and acceptability of psychological support for the population.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ander, Malin, et al.
(författare)
-
Exploration of psychological distress experienced by survivors of adolescent cancer reporting a need for psychological support
- 2018
-
Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective In this qualitative study, we aimed to provide an in-depth exploration of cancer-related psychological distress experienced by young survivors of cancer during adolescence reporting a need for psychological support.MethodsTwo individual interviews were held with ten young survivors of cancer diagnosed in adolescence. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis followed the guidelines for inductive qualitative manifest content analysis.ResultsThe survivors described distress experienced during and after the end of treatment. Five categories comprising 14 subcategories were generated. The categories included: A tough treatment, Marked and hindered, Not feeling good enough, Struggling with the fragility of life, and finally, An ongoing battle with emotions.Conclusion Young survivors of adolescent cancer reporting a need for psychological support described feeling physically, socially, and mentally marked by the cancer experience. They struggled with powerlessness, insecurity, social disconnection, loneliness, and feelings of being unimportant and a failure, and had difficulties understanding and managing their experiences. These concerns should be addressed in psychological treatments for the population irrespective of which approach or model is used to understand survivors’ difficulties. A transdiagnostic approach targeting processes that underpin different manifestations of distress may be effective.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
