“Little Annabel Harvey and her fight with cancer”: healthy young people’s representations of youth cancer

Abstract

Our recent work on the Growing Up with Cancer project showed that a cancer experience profoundly changes relationships between young people (YP) and their peers. YP can experience a sense of social dislocation as peer groups move on, important social markers are missed, or YP develop different life priorities. As part of understanding these experiences we were keen to examine the perspective of the peers who occupy the social worlds that YP return to after cancer treatment.Aim: To investigate the cultural discourses or representations about cancer and young people circulating among adolescents.Conclusions: Few participants drew on personal knowledge about a young person with cancer; their imagining of youth cancer was based on experiences of cancer in older relatives and through the media (this likely accounts for the perception that cancer inevitably leads to death in young people). Participants showed empathy for the experiences of young cancer survivors, particularly in relation to identity and relationship changes. Young cancer survivors may find these insights useful when returning to school and other peer group settings, while healthcare professionals could harness this support to smooth the young people's transitions across social worlds.