Fladeboe Kaitlyn M, Walker Amy J, Rosenberg Abby R, Katz Lynn Fainsilber
Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.
J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2021 Oct;10(5):555-561. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2020.0133. Epub 2020 Nov 6.
Despite the developmental relevance and role in social support, research on relationships between adolescents with cancer and healthy peers is limited. To address this gap, we aimed to describe adolescents' perceptions of their friendships during the 1st year following a cancer diagnosis, including relationship changes, factors that promote/inhibit relationships, and definitions and experiences of peer support. Eligible adolescents were 12-20 years old, <1 year of a new cancer diagnosis, and English speaking. Participants completed 1:1 semistructured interviews that were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Fourteen adolescents enrolled and completed interviews (mean [M] = 14.8, standard deviation [SD] = 1.8; M = 6.3 months postdiagnosis, SD = 3.2 months). Domains included (1) shifting relationships, (2) staying connected, (3) making it hard to stay close, and (4) showing me they care. Relationship changes were positive and negative, and many described a process of recognizing true friends. Staying connected with peers through communication, technology, and feeling up to date promoted closeness, while distance, treatment-related restrictions, and friends' discomfort were hindrances. Adolescents defined supportive friends as those who were there for them, checked in often, and gave them gifts. Despite relationship changes, adolescents with cancer desire connection with peers during treatment and perceive that healthy peers provide valuable support. Supporting connectedness to healthy peers during treatment may be a promising future direction to mitigate social disruption and promote well-being.
尽管癌症与社会支持之间存在发展相关性且发挥着作用，但针对患癌青少年与健康同龄人之间关系的研究却很有限。为填补这一空白，我们旨在描述青少年在癌症诊断后的第一年里对其友谊的看法，包括关系变化、促进/阻碍关系的因素，以及同伴支持的定义和经历。符合条件的青少年年龄在12至20岁之间，确诊患癌不到1年，且说英语。参与者完成了一对一的半结构化访谈，并采用归纳式内容分析法进行分析。14名青少年参与并完成了访谈（平均年龄[M]=14.8岁，标准差[SD]=1.8；确诊后平均时间M=6.3个月，SD=3.2个月）。领域包括：（1）关系转变；（2）保持联系；（3）难以保持亲密；（4）让我感受到他们的关心。关系变化有积极的也有消极的，许多人描述了一个认识真正朋友的过程。通过沟通、技术以及了解最新情况与同龄人保持联系促进了亲密感，而距离、与治疗相关的限制以及朋友的不适则是阻碍因素。青少年将给予支持的朋友定义为那些陪伴在他们身边、经常问候并送他们礼物的人。尽管关系发生了变化，但患癌青少年在治疗期间渴望与同龄人建立联系，并认为健康的同龄人能提供宝贵的支持。在治疗期间支持与健康同龄人建立联系可能是减轻社会干扰并促进幸福感的一个有前景的未来方向。
