Impact of Sick Peer Relation on Adaptation to Disease and on Treatment of Cancer-suffering Adolescents & Young Adults

NCT03964116 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IC 2017-10
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer have to deal with a relatively segmented organization of care between pediatric and adult medicine structures in France. However, the third french Plan Cancer 2014-2019 helped in the recognition of the specificities of the AYA affected by cancer and allowed the creation of specific structures in some care units in France, whose primary goal is the preservation of the social link. Indeed, peer relations contribute to access to quality social support, which is an important variable in patient adjustment with cancer. The adolescents that perceive higher social support report less psychological distress and exhibit higher adaptation scores. It nevertheless happens that AYA experience negative social support, often from friends because of contact reduction during the disease. Patients can then elect to turn towards non-intimate relations such as support groups. The main risk when a AYA with cancer defines a sick peer as one bringing him quality social support is the installation of a sense of guilt, for example, when a young person is confronted with disease negative progress or with peer death. The more an adolescent identifies with the deceased, the more he is able to consider his own mortality. AYA units are developing in France, creating a community of sick adolescents. These communities are precious for AYA and allow information and experience sharing, a feeling of reduced isolation and a greater emotional closeness with peers suffering from the same disease. How is social support from peers and close friends perceived by these young people in AYA units and through the social networks? What can the consequences of the evolution of peer disease be on AYA? What is the impact of the mourning of sick peers on these young people? What are the predictors?

Conditions

Cancer; Adolescent Behavior; Young Adult

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (10)

• Social support on patients psychological adjustment

  Compare the social support received and its effects on psychological adjustment in AYA unit groups versus groups without AYA unit (socio-demographic questionnaire).

  4 years

• Social support on patients psychological adjustment

  Compare the social support received and its effects on psychological adjustment in AYA unit groups versus groups without AYA unit (BDI-II questionnaire).

  4 years

• Social support on patients psychological adjustment

  Compare the social support received and its effects on psychological adjustment in AYA unit groups versus groups without AYA unit (STAI-Y questionnaire).

  4 years

• Psychological adjustment & quality

  Compare psychological adjustment in the 2 groups and its quality according to important events (positive or negative) that affect sick peers (STAI-Y questionnaire).

  4 years

• Psychological adjustment & quality

  Compare psychological adjustment in the 2 groups and its quality according to important events (positive or negative) that affect sick peers (BDI-II questionnaire).

  4 years

• Predictors of the grief quality

  Define if there are predictors of the grief quality: personality? Attachment? Other life events? Depression? Nature of the link with dead peers? (RSQ questionnaire).

  4 years

• Predictors of the grief quality

  Define if there are predictors of the grief quality: personality? Attachment? Other life events? Depression? Nature of the link with dead peers? (SSQ6 questionnaire).

  4 years

• Predictors of the grief quality

  Define if there are predictors of the grief quality: personality? Attachment? Other life events? Depression? Nature of the link with dead peers? (BFI-Fr questionnaire).

  4 years

• Grief phenomenon (real or virtual life)

  Describe the grief phenomenon and observe if there are demonstrations of grief when the peer was never met in person (ITG questionnaire).

  4 years

• Grief phenomenon (real or virtual life)

  Describe the grief phenomenon and observe if there are demonstrations of grief when the peer was never met in person (SEC questionnaire).

  4 years

Study Arms (1)

AYA

OTHER

Questionnaires set all 3 months and psychological interviews if needed

Other: Questionnaires set all 3 months

Interventions

Questionnaires set all 3 months OTHER

This longitudinal study based upon repeated and multicentric measurement will recruit AYA with cancer in care Units dedicated to them or not. Measures will be quantitative, and repeated every 3 months by questionnaires, as well as qualitative (social network questionnaire, psychological research interview) for teenagers declaring a negative event or a death event during treatments. Those patients presenting a high depression score will be contacted by a research psychologist for semi-directed interview.

Also known as: Psychological interviews

AYA

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 27 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adolescents or young adults from 15 to 27 years old (included) receiving cancer diagnose or recurrence announcement.
• Patient information and free consent signature by the patient or his legal representative(s).

You may not qualify if:

• Patient with any psychological, familial, sociological or geographical condition potentially hampering compliance with the study protocol.
• Inability to understand, talk or write in French.
• Patient individually deprived of liberty or placed under the authority of a tutor.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institut Curie: lead
• University of Paris 5 - Rene Descartes: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Centre Leon Berard

Lyon, 69373, France

Location

INSTITUT CURIE - site Paris

Paris, Île-de-France Region, 75005, France

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Phan J, Vander Haegen M, Karsenti L, Laurence V, Marec-Berard P, Cordero C, Thisse A, Riberon C, Flahault C. Psychological Adjustment, Adaptation, and Perception of Social Support in French Adolescents and Young Adults After the Diagnosis of Cancer. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2023 Jun;12(3):389-397. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2022.0034. Epub 2022 Sep 6.

  PMID: 36067271 BACKGROUND

• Phan J, Laurence V, Marec-Berard P, Cordero C, Riberon C, Flahault C. The Place of Sick Peers in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer: Advantage, Disadvantage, and What Makes Barriers to the Encounter. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2023 Dec;12(6):879-889. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2022.0176. Epub 2023 Mar 30.

  PMID: 36999900 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms; Adolescent Behavior

Interventions

Interview, Psychological

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Psychological Techniques; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities

Study Officials

• Valérie LAURENCE, MD

  Institut Curie Paris

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Cécile FLAHAULT, PhD

  Université René Descartes, Paris

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 2, 2018
• First Posted: May 28, 2019
• Study Start: December 7, 2018
• Primary Completion: January 25, 2023
• Study Completion: January 25, 2024
• Last Updated: August 11, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

FR (2)