ABSTRACT
Background
The psychosocial needs of survivors of cancer in young adulthood in Switzerland remain poorly understood. With this study, we aimed to (1) describe psychosocial support needs of young adult cancer survivors (YACS) during treatment and survivorship, (2) determine whether these needs change from treatment to survivorship, and (3) identify characteristics associated with unmet needs.
Methods
We included survivors aged 21–39 years at diagnosis, diagnosed at least two years prior to our questionnaire survey. We used descriptive statistics to analyze distributions of psychosocial support needs during treatment and survivorship. McNemar’s tests assessed changes in these needs over time, and logistic regressions identified determinants of unmet needs.
Results
A total of 131 YACS (mean age at study = 37.5 years; 61% female) participated in our study. Most YACS reported that their needs were met in all support domains, both during treatment and survivorship. During treatment, unmet needs were highest for insurance support (n = 30; 23%), support for friends (n = 20; 15%) and family (n = 17; 13%). During survivorship, unmet needs were most pronounced for insurance support (n = 15; 12%), information on cancer and late effects (n = 10; 8%), and work-related support (n = 9; 7%). Intrapersonal needs (e.g., information, psychological), remained stable, while unmet interpersonal (e.g., family, friends), and institutional/systemic (e.g., insurance, work) support needs declined during survivorship. Younger age and shorter time since diagnosis were associated with unmet intrapersonal needs during survivorship, while male sex predicted unmet interpersonal needs during treatment.
Conclusion
Although most support needs are met, targeted efforts are needed to address the remaining unmet needs of Swiss YACS in order to ensure they receive adequate survivorship care.