Nurse-Adolescent/Young Adult With Cancer Dyadic Storytelling Intervention

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

Rationale/Significance of Study: Age-appropriate care for adolescents and young adults with cancer has been in the spotlight in recent decades due to their increasing number and unique needs. Cancer is a highly distressful event for adolescents and young adults. These AYA with cancer need to build a...

Rationale/Significance of Study: Age-appropriate care for adolescents and young adults with cancer has been in the spotlight in recent decades due to their increasing number and unique needs. Cancer is a highly distressful event for adolescents and young adults. These AYA with cancer need to build abilities and strengths to deal with multiple, lifelong challenges and move toward a promising future. While traditional care for adolescents and young adults prioritizes survival and symptom elimination, addressing the lifelong psychological effects of cancer has received less attention. Human flourishing, which means holistic well-being, can serve as a framework of comprehensive health care goals for adolescents and young adults with cancer. The National League for Nursing defines human flourishing as an effort to achieve self-actualization and fulfillment within the context of a larger community of individuals through the experiences of suffering and coping. Nurses can support such efforts through individualized, culturally appropriate, relationship-focused care. Despite ongoing national adolescents and young adults research priorities, there are gaps in adolescents/young adults-specific intervention for cultivating strengths and ultimately promoting human flourishing. To develop holistic nursing interventions tailored to this population, we propose a nurse-adolescents/young adults with cancer dyadic storytelling intervention, representing a cost-effective, evidence-based method to promote human flourishing in adolescents and young adults with cancer that utilizes the synergy between narratives and nurse-patient therapeutic relationships. Theoretical Framework: Our study follows the Medical Research Council guidance, which serves as a framework for developing and evaluating multicomponent interventions that address complex health challenges. The intervention is designed following the Story Theory and Pennebaker's Expressive Writing paradigm. Sample & Setting: A total of 30 adolescents and young adults with cancer will be recruited at the pediatric oncology inpatient/outpatient units and childhood cancer survivorship clinics. Recruited adolescents and young adults will nominate three pediatric oncology nurses whom they are willing to invite. We will reach out to those nurses and introduce this study through nurse managers. Procedures: Each adolescent and young adult will be paired with a nurse and will participate in an online storytelling intervention for five weeks. The dyad will independently create digital stories about themselves. The dyad will then participate in weekly online meetings, during which they will introduce their stories to one another and discuss their reflections. Both participants will complete intervention measures before and after the intervention and share their qualitative feedback. Implications for Practice Our findings will serve as the foundational knowledge by which to conduct a large-scale, randomized clinical trial. Ultimately, this study will navigate comprehensive nursing approaches to guide adolescents and young adults with cancer toward human flourishing.

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