Unique Challenges of the Youth Population Dealing with Cancer
- Stutee Kulkarni
- Jan 22
- 4 min read
The Adolescent and Young Adults (AYA) dealing with cancer are the youth from the age of 15 to 39. They face unique trials and tribulations when dealing with cancer. This age is ideally considered the peak age for psychosocial development. Balancing other pressures and expectations during this age, along with a major health condition like cancer, can be extremely challenging for the growth and development of that individual.
Some unique psychological, social, and emotional challenges include loss of meaning, higher psychological distress, social isolation, identity and body image concerns, loss of autonomy, and all this can result in existential loneliness. Existential loneliness in the AYA population is when they feel separated from others due to this life-threatening health condition. They need to face possibilities like mortality, as opposed to the general youth population, who could be making invincible life goals and plans.
Such distress can result in self-questioning and negative self-talk. The ultimate outcome is the hope and faith of that individual being shaken. During an interview with a cancer survivor youth, she shared that during her treatment, she had felt, “Why am I going through this in such an amplified way, and how will I catch up with others?”
She had also added that on some days, “I genuinely felt stuck as others moved on in their lives.” Furthermore, she did not have the same level of patience, as exhaustion would overcome her ability to hold a conversation with others. The days when she would question herself were when she would witness her friends working on their educational and professional goals on social media.
In this increasingly competitive world, the AYA dealing with cancer struggle to catch up with the general youth population and grapple with their reality. I believe this is the major cause for existential loneliness and other resulting psychological, emotional, and social distress in these youth. Their faith is challenged to the point where they are increasingly having self-doubt, thus further questioning whether they can handle the internal and external pressures of being part of the entire youth population.
There are several initiatives and platforms for helping the AYA population. Despite all these initiatives and platforms, existential loneliness can persist in this population. This can be handled through increasing awareness regarding support strategies for the AYA dealing with the cancer population to avail them. Authentic meetings (comprehensive patient-centred forums) and peer-led content aid in providing a non-judgemental, empathetic, and self-help means of youth cancer care and support.
Meaning-Centred Psychotherapy for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer is a therapeutic intervention which uses concepts like identity formation and structured sessions designed to address hopelessness and loss of meaning in the AYA dealing with the cancer population. Meaning-making interventions such as these assist this population to restore their confidence, shape their identity, and increase inclusion in society.
Regardless of all these existing approaches, mindfulness and spirituality still drive the core forces to handle the intrusive existential thoughts. During the youth cancer survivor interview, the interviewee highlighted the following: “My faith helped me, as I believed that God has a bigger purpose for me. There were days when I felt like God was good to me, as I did not care about how I looked during the treatment. I felt okay to be in that position, as I could finally focus on myself and my health more, without grappling with the pressures of the general expectations from youth in their 20s. The main goal was to recover. I even felt that losing my hair during treatment was LIBERATING.” Strong faith, positive self-talk, and optimism can help perceive a life-threatening situation like cancer as a medium of freedom and liberation from the shackles of expectations in our society.
The interviewee also mentioned that timely and consistent support from her family, friends, and medical staff guided her to fight during her treatment process and survive cancer. Resilience was strongly reflected in her voice as she uttered the following words: “It was a moment of pride that God felt I could handle something so challenging. God will not give you something that you cannot handle.” Such abundant faith can move mountains! This resilient individual is currently readjusting to her daily life after emerging victorious from her combat with cancer.
To conclude, the need to restore faith and self-belief is crucial to ensure greater resilience and support for this population dealing with cancer. Despite the Adolescent and Young Adults dealing with cancer have their unique set of challenges. Having willpower and strong faith can help them pave a path across the mountain of challenges. When a life hangs in the balance due to cancer, that individual’s mindset can either make or break them. Hence, I believe, that the key to overcoming concerns like existential loneliness lies within the individual. Therefore, I urge the individuals to look inside their minds. Beyond the illness and distress lies an individual with a strong sense of self waiting to harness their utmost potential.
A message from the above interviewee: “We have to speak about these topics to increase awareness. You need to ensure that the people around you during this treatment process are good, empathetic people.
Nevertheless, always remember: “You are your biggest supporter.”
References:
Comments