Overcoming Social Support Barriers for Adolescents & Young Adults w/ Cancer

In this virtual workshop, participants will learn about the reasons for nonsupport identified in our study, Barriers to Seeking and Communicating Social Support: A Study of Young Adult Cancer Patients and Supporters.

The study analyzed 722 reasons (284 from young adult patients and 438 from young adult supporters) for why young adult cancer patients struggle to seek support and, correspondingly, explored the reasons why young adult supporters struggle to provide support or avoid it altogether. These results will set the stage for the remaining workshop discussion to understand how the care team can use these nonsupport reasons to explore, recognize and mitigate social support barriers for their patients and their social support network during the different phases of the cancer experience.

The output from this workshop will provide the basis for future training, tools, and resources and help ensure every AYA feels connected and supported throughout treatment and beyond.