Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
Nutrients. 2023 Jul 14;15(14):3145. doi: 10.3390/nu15143145.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to compare the lived experiences among extended (one year or less post-treatment) and long-term (three years or more post-treatment) young adult (YA) cancer survivors (ages 18-39 years old).
Two trained researchers conducted semi-structured interviews inquiring about the overall lived experience of = 24 YA cancer survivors ( = 12 extended and = 12 long-term). The same two researchers independently completed line-by-line coding and thematic content analysis.
Interviews lasted an average of 41 min and revealed common themes of , , , (e.g., ). All participants discussed symptoms impairing their quality of life and affecting their fear of recurrence. Specific psychosocial concerns among extended survivors were appearance-related (e.g., hair loss, weight gain) whereas concerns among long-term survivors included job loss, fertility, and financial stress. Coping strategies described by extended survivors were often distraction-based (e.g., watching television to "escape"), while long-term survivors described more active coping strategies (e.g., yoga, meditation, and seeking support from family and friends). Most survivors reflected on limited physical activity or unhealthy eating during treatment; however, nearly all declared healthy eating and physical activity post-treatment to improve well-being.
YA cancer survivors report differing symptoms, psychosocial concerns, and coping strategies across time since treatment. While survivors reported challenges with physical activity and nutrition during treatment, nearly all emphasized the importance of these health behaviors post-treatment. Thus, health behavior interventions could represent a preferred approach to address post-treatment challenges and improve quality of life for YA survivors.
本定性研究旨在比较接受治疗后一年或更短时间（扩展组）和三年或更长时间（长期组）的年轻成年癌症幸存者（18-39 岁）的生活体验。
两名经过培训的研究人员进行了半结构化访谈，询问了 24 名年轻成年癌症幸存者（扩展组=12 名，长期组=12 名）的整体生活体验。同样的两名研究人员独立完成逐行编码和主题内容分析。
访谈平均持续 41 分钟，揭示了以下共同主题： ， ， ， （例如， ）。所有参与者都讨论了影响他们生活质量和对复发恐惧的症状。扩展组幸存者的特定心理社会问题与外貌有关（例如，脱发、体重增加），而长期组幸存者则包括失业、生育和经济压力。扩展组幸存者描述的应对策略通常是基于分散注意力的（例如，看电视以“逃避”），而长期组幸存者则描述了更积极的应对策略（例如，瑜伽、冥想和寻求家人和朋友的支持）。大多数幸存者在治疗期间反思了有限的身体活动或不健康的饮食，但几乎所有人都宣称在治疗后进行健康饮食和身体活动以改善幸福感。
年轻成年癌症幸存者在治疗后时间长短上报告了不同的症状、心理社会问题和应对策略。尽管幸存者在治疗期间报告了身体活动和营养方面的挑战，但几乎所有人都强调了这些健康行为在治疗后对改善生活质量的重要性。因此，健康行为干预措施可能是解决治疗后挑战和改善年轻成年幸存者生活质量的首选方法。
