Adolescents with Cancer: The Influence of Close Relationships o ...

Thus, it appears that some cancer survivors are engaging in risky behavior despite the fact that this is likely to increase the occurrence of second malignancies. Consequently, it becomes important to examine aspects of health-related behavior (i.e., smoking and drinking) among adolescents currently under treatment for cancer. Indeed, it can be argued that the study of adolescents who are under treatment for cancer provides an excellent heuristic for evaluating how adolescents in general face important transitions in their lives while faced with significant adversity.

The purpose of the current study was to address gaps in the extant literature by providing an examination of how dimensions of close peer and dating relationships (i.e., social support, negative interactions, dating anxiety, fear of intimacy) among adolescents with cancer correspond with ratings of quality of life, psychological distress, and health-related behaviors (i.e., tobacco, alcohol, and drug use; sexual risk taking; nutrition and physical activity; overweight and dietary behaviors; and sun safety). The current study was guided by two specific aims: (a) to identify how dimensions of adolescents’ close peer and dating relationships are related to both adolescent- and parent-rated quality of life and psychological distress and (b) to identify how dimensions of adolescents’ close peer and dating relationships are associated with adolescents’ reports of their health-related behaviors. It was hypothesized that adolescents currently under treatment for cancer who endorsed a higher quality of close peer and dating relationships (i.e., higher levels of social support, lower levels of negative interactions, lower levels of dating anxiety and fear of intimacy) with their boyfriend/girlfriend, same-sex friend, and/or opposite-sex friend would be more likely to experience higher quality of life and lower levels of psychological distress, according to both adolescent and parent reports.