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

Adolescents are encountering rapid physical growth, hormonal changes, and a shift away from dependence on parents with associated reliance upon peer relationships. These peer relationships often involve increased levels of intimacy and sexuality, and it is in the context of these relationships that adolescents are developing important competencies for later relationships in their adult years. Thus, it stands to reason that adolescents with cancer may be considerably more vulnerable than younger children from the standpoint of impact of diagnosis on their close or intimate social relationships.

Notably, research examining peer relationships specifically among adolescents with cancer is scant; most research has focused solely on children or on mixed samples of children and adolescents. Such limited extant research suggests that adolescent cancer survivors experience significant discomfort in relationships with members of the opposite sex, as well as continue to harbor a negative body image related to their cancer experience (e.g., Fritz & Williams, 1988). Even among those adolescents who indicated that they had a dating partner currently or in the past, few adolescents indicated that they had discussed their cancer diagnosis with their partner (Fritz & Williams, 1988). Other research has also documented that many adolescent cancer survivors experience significant problems with self-image. Stern, Norman, and Zevon (1993) found that adolescents with cancer fell below standardized norms for sexual self-image and were significantly less adjusted than healthy controls on dimensions of sexual self and social self. A majority of adolescents also reported that they experienced rejection from peers. Madan-Swain et al. (1994) also documented significant body-image disturbance and adjustment difficulties in a sample of cancer survivors when compared to healthy controls, as have Shroff-Pendley, Dahlquist, and Dreyer (1997).