Happiness and time perspective as potential mediators of quality of life and depression in adolescent cancer.

BACKGROUND

Given the increase in 5- and 10-year survival rates of children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer, current psycho-oncology literature is focusing on finding correlates and predictors to their positive psychosocial adjustment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two potential mediators to adolescent cancer survivors' quality of life (QOL) and depressive symptomology.

PROCEDURE

Adolescent cancer survivors (N = 50; 50% males; mean diagnosis age, 13.7; mean age at study, 20.2) were surveyed, testing the mediation effects of their happiness (Subjective Happiness Scale) and past-negative time perspective (Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory) on QOL (PedsQL 4.0) and depressive symptomology (CES-D). Independent variables included gender and treatment intensity.

RESULTS

Happiness significantly mediated the relationship between treatment intensity in both depressive symptomology (beta = -0.65, P < 0.05, CI = -2.46, -6.41) and QOL (beta = 0.54, P < 0.05, CI = 3.66, 9.01). A past-negative time perspective significantly mediated the relationship between gender and depressive symptomology (beta = 0.60, P < 0.05, CI = 3.34, 9.78). Survivors' gender was not associated with happiness and treatment intensity was not associated with time perspective.

CONCLUSIONS

Happiness may be a more direct predictor of QOL and depression than the intensity of treatment for cancer. Also, thinking negatively about one's past may be a more direct predictor of depressive symptomology than being female. Therefore, interventions that cultivate happiness and reframe time perspective may be effective ways to improve survivors' QOL and decrease depressive symptoms-regardless of gender and intensity of treatment protocol.