Abstract
BackgroundAdolescents diagnosed with cancer experience unique psychosocial concerns that persist beyond treatment completion into longer-term survivorship. Camp-based, group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) programs are a potential model for providing evidence-informed psychological and peer support to adolescent cancer survivors.ObjectiveThis paper describes the development and exploration of the feasibility and acceptability of such a program, Places You’ll Go. This manualised program incorporates five 90-min group ACT sessions within a 3-day camp, teaching ACT strategies in the context of psychosocial impacts of cancer.MethodEight facilitators and twenty-eight Australian adolescent cancer survivors (68% female; age range 12–17 years, M = 15.4 years) participated in the program and evaluation. Feasibility was assessed using facilitator-reported session duration, attendance, quality and content fidelity; facilitators also completed interviews after program completion. Young people completed surveys on program acceptability at the end of each session and at program completion.ResultsAll planned sessions were delivered, with 97% attendance and high fidelity in manualised program delivery. All young people were mostly or very satisfied and would recommend the program to another cancer survivor. Opportunities for peer connection and skill development contributed to perceived program acceptability.ConclusionsThe Places You’ll Go program was acceptable and feasible to deliver. It is a promising community-based model for promoting peer support and well-being in adolescent cancer survivors, indicating the potential of ACT-based approaches for this population. Further work is underway to evaluate whether the program improves psychosocial wellbeing among participants, and if this is linked to the therapeutic mechanisms underpinning ACT.
Highlights
The rapid psychosocial development experienced in adolescence, including changes in identity, independence, and relationships (Steinberg and Morris 2001), is disrupted by a cancer experience
Five topics relevant to adolescent cancer survivors were identified as priorities for discussion during the program: peer connection and sense of community; identity and meaning-making; distress associated with uncertainty and cancer-related worries; cancer-related disclosure; and goal-setting and valued activity participation
A novel, camp-based ACT group intervention was delivered to 28 adolescent cancer survivors
Summary
The rapid psychosocial development experienced in adolescence, including changes in identity, independence, and relationships (Steinberg and Morris 2001), is disrupted by a cancer experience. Good survival rates for children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer (GBD 2017 Childhood Cancer Collaborators 2019) mean that there is a growing population of young people at risk for experiencing ongoing impacts of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment. Many adolescent cancer survivors adjust well to their cancer experience (Gunst et al 2016; Niepage et al 2018; Yi et al 2015), a significant minority report psychosocial challenges after completing cancer treatment. Adolescents diagnosed with cancer experience unique psychosocial concerns that persist beyond treatment completion into longer-term survivorship. Camp-based, group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) programs are a potential model for providing evidence-informed psychological and peer support to adolescent cancer survivors
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