Poster Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

The Continued Importance of Parental Support for Young Adult Cancer Survivors (#717)

Joel Milam 1 , Anamara Ritt-Olson 1 , Cynthia Ramirez 1
  1. Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Cancer incidence in young adults has increased more than any other age group over the past few decades, but with improved treatment, almost 80% survive cancer treatments. As survival rises so do possible late effects, health and emotional consequences often resulting from the treatments that saved their lives. Survivors must continue lifelong monitoring of their health.  Project FORWARD, a research study of survivors of childhood and adolescent cancers, found that many young adults fail to maintain that vigilance. We conducted 17 in depth interviews of survivors to understand the impact of significant others in connecting young adults with care and improving overall well being. The respondents were 53% female, ranged in age from 20 to 31 years, with an average age of 24 years. They had experienced a wide variety of cancer types.  Many young adults without a history of cancer report peers as central to their support system but young adult cancer survivors told stories of deep connections with their parents and more distance from same age peers. While over reliance on parents could be a sign of dependence, it could also indicate a strong nurturing bond that could be an avenue to health promotion.