Returning to School After Adolescent Cancer: A Qualitative Examination of Australian Survivors' and Their Families' Perspectives

Abstract

Additional support is needed to help parents navigate the education system and to advocate effectively for their child's academic needs beyond the immediate re-entry period. There is strong potential for school counselors to increase the level of support they provide adolescents and their parents during the school re-entry period. The impact of this period on siblings' education is under-studied and warrants further research.

Teenage and Young Adult Cancer-Related Fatigue Is Prevalent, Distressing, and Neglected: It Is Time to Intervene. A Systematic Literature Review and Narrative Synthesis

“…Most were rated as medium or poor on Gough's Weight of Evidence Framework. Although 13 were of high quality on Weight of Evidence A (integrity of the evidence in its own terms), 17,30,40,[42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51] only three were judged to be of overall high quality by Weight of Evidence D. 17,30,47 All participants (aside from those in some of the control groups) had a cancer diagnosis. Five studies only recruited patients with lymphoma and/or leukemia, 31,32,45,52,53 and one had only patients with extremity bone tumors.…”

“…[17][18][19]23,33,34,37,[39][40][41][42][43]48,55,68,72,73,[80][81][82][83][84] Distress caused by fatigue was the most commonly described impact, reported in 11 studies. The MSAS, a scale that allows comparison of the level of distress caused by each symptom, was used in six of these studies.…”

“…Being unable to take part in exercise led to frustration and loss of confidence, with parents becoming ''overprotective'' and preventing their adolescents from taking part in activities that demanded energy. 42 Four studies reported fatigue as a barrier to other social activities, 18,23,42,48 including returning to school. 48 A negative impact on affective state, mood, or anxiety was described in three studies.…”

“…42 Four studies reported fatigue as a barrier to other social activities, 18,23,42,48 including returning to school. 48 A negative impact on affective state, mood, or anxiety was described in three studies. 19,23,37 Experience of parents Although 10 studies collected parent proxy reports of fatigue severity, 30,37,38,47,49,59,60,74,75,77 none investigated the experiences of parents of adolescent teenagers or young adults with cancer-related fatigue.…”

Meshing Gears

“…When Australian adolescents returned to school after completing cancer treatment, their family members identified barriers to successful school reentry, such as adolescents' health status and poor communication between families and schools (McLoone, Wakefield, Butow, Fleming, & Cohn, 2011). Poor communication may cause teachers or classmates to misinterpret the meaning of adolescent cancer survivors' behaviors.…”