Due to the high survival rates of many young cancer patients and a high risk of second tumors, fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) can cause serious impairment for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the structure of the Fear of Disease Progression Questionnaire (FoP-Q-12) to better understand the construct of FCR. We performed a cross-sectional survey on a sample of AYA patients aged 15–39 years with different tumor entities. FCR was measured using the FoP-Q-12, and a network analysis was conducted to examine the relationship of FCR symptoms. The importance of individual items in the network was determined using centrality analyses. A total of 247 AYA patients (81.8% female, median age 31.0 years) participated in the study. The mean FCR score in the sample was 35.9 (SD = 9.9). The majority of patients reported having high FCR (59.5%), according to the established cut-off. The two questionnaire items with the strongest association related to fears about work, and the most central symptom was the fear of serious medical interventions. The centrality of emotional issues in the sample indicates that these symptoms should be prioritized in the development of interventions targeting FCR. Further research should address this topic with larger samples of patients in other age groups and in longitudinal studies.

This cross-sectional German study examined the frequency of health literacy (HL) in adolescents and young adult (AYA) cancer patients and the factors associated with HL. A sample of 206 AYA-aged patients (80.1% female; age 15–39 years) completed measures of HL, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), depression, and sociodemographic characteristics; 28% had a sufficient HL score. Males and patients with higher education levels reported higher HL scores. Regression revealed positive associations between HL and HRQoL and depressive symptoms. Results suggest the need to further examine HL and its predictors in AYAs with cancer to develop interventions for improving HL.

Objectives: Social‐cure research has shown that ingroup identification can be beneficial for personal health and well‐being. Initial evidence for healthy participants suggests that this might be due to group membership providing a sense of personal control. In this research, we investigate this pathway for chronically ill patients, assuming that any ingroup (even patient identity) can serve as social cure by increasing control as long as the ingroup is perceived as agentic (i.e., effective). Design: We conducted six correlational field studies with patients suffering from different chronic conditions, e.g., cancer ( N _total = 795). Methods: All participants were asked about one specific ingroup, e.g., their self‐help group. Our main measures were ingroup identification, ingroup agency, personal control and well‐being, as well as self‐esteem and social support (both discussed as alternative mediators). We performed simple mediation and/or moderated mediation analyses for each study and across studies (merging Studies 2–6). Results: Overall, the impact of ingroup identification on personal well‐being was uniquely mediated via personal control (Studies 1, 2, 3, 6) but, as expected, only for those perceiving their ingroup as highly agentic (Studies 4, 5, 6). Conclusions: Ingroup agency is a boundary condition for the control‐based pathway of the social cure effect supporting the model of group‐based control. This has practical implications for clinical interventions with chronically ill patients.

Background: Developing cancer in young adulthood is a non-normative life event and associated with adverse physical, social and psychological consequences. High psychological distress is common in AYA cancer patients including anxiety, depression or fear of recurrence. At the same time, it is well known that AYA often report unmet needs for support, particularly in terms of informational exchange and emotional support from peers in order to benefit from shared experiences and enhance self-efficacy. Especially in the AYA group, interactions with other same-aged cancer patients may represent an essential resource in terms of coping with the disease, as family members and friends are often overwhelmed and struggling with helplessness. Currently, there is a lack of professional support services using peer support (e.g. psycho-oncological support, aftercare consultations, social legal counselling) or evaluated peer support interventions in Germany. Our aim is to assess the effectiveness of the Peer2Me intervention for AYAs, in which acute patients (mentees) are accompanied by an AYA survivor (mentor) over a period of three months. Methods: A prospective Comprehensive Cohort Design with repeated measures will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of Peer2Me for AYA. A sample of 180 patients in active cancer treatment aged 18 to 39 years will be enrolled and randomized to the intervention or control condition (a single AYA-specific consultation). Following mentor training, mentees and mentors are matched by diagnosis, age, and gender. The primary outcome is self-efficacy; secondary outcomes include measures of anxiety, depression, health literacy, life satisfaction and social support life. Outcomes will be measured at baseline before the intervention (t1), immediately after completion of the three-month intervention (t2) and three months after completion the intervention (t3). For the final analyses, we will use an intention-to-treat approach (ITT) and compare patients in the assigned treatment groups. Discussion: Peer2Me might be an important addition to existing professional psychosocial support services for young cancer patients. At the end of the study, a psycho-oncological intervention for young cancer patients undergoing acute treatment should be available, from which both mentors and mentees could benefit. The long-term continuity of Peer2Me should be ensured through collaboration with different partners. Trial Registration: The study was retrospectively registered on February 4, 2022 at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05336318).