The impact of a cancer experience during emerging adulthood (18–25 years of age) is an under-studied phenomenon, with research on young people typically focussing on children or adolescents. Needs-based research on this population is even scarcer. This study sought to ascertain the most commonly-unmet needs of emerging adults with cancer, in various stages of time-since-treatment, and to investigate links to psychological functioning.

Using an earlier version of a needs-based questionnaire, presently under development, as well as additional items developed specifically for this age group, the ten most unmet needs were determined for 63 emerging adults in each of the following three groups: those on or within one year since treatment; those between one and five years since treatment; and those beyond five years since treatment. Psychological functioning was measured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21).

On average, participants rated 17.7 of the 132 needs as unmet. The 10 most unmet needs for each group generated a distinct picture of how needs change as time-since-treatment increases. For those at or within one year since treatment, there were a number of unmet needs directly related to health care provision and the hospital experience. For those whose treatment was more than one year previous, the most unmet needs were more focussed on emotional/psychological issues, particularly related to survivorship and life direction. Positive correlations were found between the number of unmet needs and levels of anxiety and stress.

The results of the present study provide quantitative needs-based information about emerging adults with cancer, in the context of their treatment situation. This enables health care providers to better support the emerging adult with cancer in ways that are age-appropriate and time-sensitive. The persisting levels of unmet needs and psychological distress beyond five years since treatment underscore the importance of long-term follow-up and support.

Family members of critically ill patients can suffer symptoms of post-intensive care syndrome-family (PICS-F), including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a diminished quality of life. Our aim was to examine the relationship between coping strategies used by family decision-makers (FDMs) of critically ill patients and the severity of PICS-F symptoms and to examine the relationship between FDM PICS-F symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

A single-center, prospective, longitudinal descriptive study was undertaken of FDMs of intensive care unit (ICU) patients admitted to a large tertiary care hospital. PICS-F symptoms and coping strategy use were measured upon ICU admission (T1), 30 days (T2) after ICU admission, and 60 days (T3) after ICU admission. HRQOL was measured by the Short Form-36 version 2 at T1 and T3.

We found a significant prevalence of anxiety (45.8%), depression (25%), and PTSD (11.1%) symptoms among FDMs over the course of the study. The patient mortality rate in our sample was 50%. The HRQOL mental summary score in FDMs was low at T1 and decreased to M = 41.72 (standard deviation = 12.47) by T3. Avoidant coping demonstrated moderate relationships with PTSD symptoms and anxiety at T3. A previous history of anxiety, depression, or PTSD was a significant predictor of PICS-F symptom severity and prevalence. PICS symptom severity at T3 explained 75% of the variance in HRQOL mental summary score.

This study describes a significant prevalence of PICS-F symptoms in FDMs with a diminished mental HRQOL.

As a part of a European study, we cross-culturally examined the rate of emotional distress and maladaptive coping and their association with cancer patients' satisfaction with their interactions with the physician responsible for their care.

Cancer patients (n = 302) from one Middle European (Austria) and two Southern European (Italy, Spain) countries completed the NCCN Distress Thermometer (DT), the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC) Anxious Preoccupation (AP) and Hopelessness (H) sub-scales, and the Physician Patient Satisfaction with Doctors Questionnaire (PSQ).

The prevalence of emotional distress (DT caseness) was 60% (26.1% mild, 18.8% moderate, and 14.9% severe distress). Maladaptive coping (Mini-MAC cases) was found in 22.8% (hopeless cases), and 22.5% (anxious preoccupation cases). PSQ-MD was significantly correlated with Mini-MAC/H and Mini-Mac/AP, while PSQ-PS was negatively correlated with Mini-MAC/H. DT cases and those with higher levels of hopelessness reported higher scores on PSQ-MD and lower on PSQ-PS than non-cases. Some differences were found between countries both as far as patients' coping and perception of the interaction with doctors. In hierarchical multiple regression analysis, after adjusting for socio-demographic and medical variables, Mini-MAC/H significantly predicted the scores on PSQ-MD (positive direction) and PSQ-PS (negative direction).

The study confirms that about one out of three cancer patients have moderate to high level of emotional distress and about one out of four, clinically significant maladaptive coping. Also, patients showing hopelessness and distress tended to perceive their doctors as both disengaged and less supportive. These results highlights the need for physicians to monitor their patient's level of distress and coping mechanisms and to adjust their own relational and communication style according to patients' psychological condition. Also, cross-cultural issues should be taken into account when exploring psychosocial variables and cancer patients' perception of and satisfaction with the interaction with their doctors.

Palliative care requires nurses to be knowledgeable about different aspects of the care that they provide for dying patients. This study, therefore, was conducted to examine oncology and intensive care nurses' knowledge about palliative care in Southeast Iran.

Using the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing (PCQN), 140 oncology and intensive care unit (ICU) nurses' knowledge about palliative care in three hospitals supervised by Kerman University of Medical Sciences was assessed.

In PCQN, the mean score was 7.59 (SD: 2.28). The most correct answers were in the category of management of pain and other symptoms (46.07%). The lowest correct answers were in the category of psychosocial and spiritual care (19.3%).

These findings suggest that nurses' knowledge about palliative care can be improved by establishing specific palliative care units to focus on end-of-life care. This establishment requires incorporation of an end-of-life nursing education curriculum into undergraduate nursing studies.

The issues surrounding a patient's terminal phase of cancer and the imminent death of the individual represent a major family crisis affecting all its members. The goal of this study was to assess the prevalence of psychological morbidity in family caregivers of persons with terminal cancer in terms of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, somatization, and complicated anticipatory grief, and to determine which factors may influence these responses.

One hundred and twelve family caregivers of individuals with terminal cancer completed an assessment protocol comprising the Brief Symptom Inventory (depression, anxiety, somatization, and a computed score for global distress), the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory - Short Form (anticipatory grief), the Family Inventory of Needs (importance and satisfaction of needs), and the Systemic Clinical Outcome Routine Evaluation -15 (family functioning). Prevalence of psychological morbidity was determined through descriptive and frequency statistics. Predictors of psychological morbidity were ascertained through structural equation modelling methods.

Regarding the prevalence of psychological morbidity in family caregivers, 66.1% reported high levels of distress, 68.8% showed high risk of depression, 72.3% showed high risk of anxiety, 50.9% reported high levels of somatization, and 25.9% showed high risk of complicated anticipatory grief. It was found that the predictors of age, gender, relationship to the family member with terminal cancer, the caregiving role played (i.e., primary vs. nonprimary), the satisfaction of needs by healthcare professionals, and family functioning play an important role in terms of one's risk of developing psychological morbidity.

This study revealed an alarming prevalence of psychological morbidity in family caregivers of individuals living with terminal cancer, making it crucial to move forward from a patient-centered approach to a family-centrad approach to reduce the risk of family maladjustment when facing the imminent death of a family member and to prevent postdeath unadjusted responses.

Suicidal ideation (SI) underlies risk of death by suicide. It is well established that patients with cancer are at increased risk of death by suicide. Therefore, understanding SI in patients with cancer is critically important. The goal of this systematic review was to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, intervention, and assessment of SI in patients with cancer.

This systematic review was registered with the PROSPERO database (CRD42018115405) and was guided by the PRISMA statement. We searched Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and assessed for quality assurance using a revised Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

We identified 439 studies to screen for eligibility. Eligible studies included adults with cancer diagnoses and listed SI as an outcome. Ultimately, 44 studies were included in the analyses. Prevalence of SI ranged greatly from 0.7% to 46.3%. Single items drawn from validated measures were the most frequent method of assessing SI (n = 20, 45.5%); additional methods included validated measures and psychological interviews. Commonly identified risk factors for SI included age, sex, and disease/treatment-related characteristics, as well as psychological constructs including depression, anxiety, hopelessness, existential distress, and social support.

Assessment of SI in patients with cancer is the concern of researchers worldwide. Prevalence of SI varied with study population and was likely influenced by the method of assessment. Psychological distress consistently predicted SI. Increasing awareness of demographic, clinical, and psychological associations is critical for risk assessment and intervention development.

To examine the attitudes of Iranian nurses toward caring for dying patients.

Nurses' attitudes toward death and caring for dying patients were examined by using two types of questionnaires: the Death Attitude Profile–Revised (DAP-R) and Frommelt's Attitude towards Caring for Dying Patients (FATCOD), both with a demographic survey.

The results showed that most respondents are likely to view death as a natural part of life and also as a gateway to the afterlife. The majority reported that they are likely to provide care and emotional support for the people who are dying and their families, but they were unlikely to talk with them or even educate them about death. They had a tendency not to accept patients and their families as the authoritative decision makers or involve families in patient care. Nurses' personal views on death, as well as personal experiences, affected their attitudes toward care of the dying.

Lack of education and experience, as well as cultural and professional limitations, may have contributed to the negative attitude toward some aspects of the care for people who are dying among the nurses surveyed. Creating a reflective narrative environment in which nurses can express their own feelings about death and dying seems to be a potentially effective approach to identify the factors influencing their interaction with the dying. Continuing education may be required for Iranian palliative care nurses in order to improve the patients quality of care at the end of life.

Provision of bereavement support is an essential component of palliative care service delivery. While bereavement support is integral to palliative care, it is typically insufficiently resourced, under-researched, and not systematically applied. Our aim was to develop bereavement standards to assist palliative care services to provide targeted support to family caregivers.

We employed a multiple-methods design for our study, which included: (1) a literature review, (2) a survey of palliative care service providers in Australia, (3) interviews with national (Australian) and international experts, (4) key stakeholder workshops, and (5) a modified Delphi-type survey.

A total of 10 standards were developed along with a pragmatic care pathway to assist palliative care services with implementation of the standards.

The bereavement standards and care pathway constitute a key initiative in the evolution of bereavement support provided by palliative care services. Future endeavors should refine and examine the impact of these standards. Additional research is required to enhance systematic approaches to quality bereavement care.

To determine the preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and effects of Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy (MCGT) for parents who lost a child to cancer.

Parents who lost a child to cancer and who were between six months and six years after loss and reporting elevated levels of prolonged grief were enrolled in open trials of MCGT, a manualized, one-on-one cognitive-behavioral-existential intervention that used psychoeducation, experiential exercises, and structured discussion to explore themes related to meaning, identity, purpose, and legacy. Parents completed 16 weekly sessions, 60–90 minutes in length, either in person or through videoconferencing. Parents were administered measures of prolonged grief disorder symptoms, meaning in life, and other assessments of psychological adjustment preintervention, mid-intervention, postintervention, and at three months postintervention. Descriptive data from both the in-person and videoconferencing open trial were pooled.

Eight of 11 (72%) enrolled parents started the MCGT intervention, and six of eight (75%) participants completed all 16 sessions. Participants provided positive feedback about MCGT. Results showed postintervention longitudinal improvements in prolonged grief (d = 1.70), sense of meaning (d = 2.11), depression (d = 0.84), hopelessness (d = 1.01), continuing bonds with their child (d = 1.26), posttraumatic growth (ds = 0.29–1.33), positive affect (d = 0.99), and various health-related quality of life domains (d = 0.46–0.71). Most treatment gains were either maintained or increased at the three-month follow-up assessment.

Overall, preliminary data suggest that this 16-session, manualized cognitive-behavioral-existential intervention is feasible, acceptable, and associated with transdiagnostic improvements in psychological functioning among parents who have lost a child to cancer. Future research should examine MCGT with a larger sample in a randomized controlled trial.

Patients and families coping with a terminal illness are faced with a number of decisions over the course of their disease. The role that family communication plays in the process of decision making is an important one. The objectives for this review are to examine the current state of empirical literature on the relationship between family communication and decision making about end-of-life care, to identify gaps, and to discuss implications for policy, practice, and future research.

Articles were identified using systematic keyword searches within the following relevant databases: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus, Communications and Mass Media Complete, ERIC, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, SocINDEX, and ProQuest.

The three bodies of relevant literature that emerged during this review include: (1) the importance of family communication at the end of life (EoL); (2) family decision making at the EoL; and (3) the interrelationship of communication (both within the family and with healthcare professionals) and decision making at the EoL. While the literature highlights the role of communication between medical professionals and the patient or family members, there is very little focus on the process of how family communication among the family members themselves contributes to decision making at the end of life.

Barriers to end-of-life care are important considerations for helping patients to access timely and appropriate services. Understanding the pertinent role of family communication as it relates to the decision for EoL care is the first step in working to provide another avenue for overcoming these barriers.

This study aims to explore and understand how people with advanced cancer create meaning and handle everyday life through activity.

A purposive sample of seven participants was recruited from a larger study. Data were collected through qualitative interviews and participant observations conducted in the participants' home environments while they were engaged in activities to which they assigned particular value. Interpretive analysis was conducted using narrative theory and relevant literature.

The study shows how people in conditions of advanced cancer fashion narratives useful for handling everyday life with advanced cancer. A meta-narrative of “saying goodbye in a good way” provided an overall structure for the participants as they attempted to create desired narratives negotiated in context of the individuals' sociocultural life and in the proximity of death. A narrative of “being healthy although ill” provided an arena for exploring the contrast between simultaneously feeling well and severely ill. Further emplotment of activities in “routines and continuity” was identified as a means to provide a safe, familiar framework stimulating participants' everyday agency. “My little Mecca” was identified as a narrative reflecting the activity of life-confirming experiences and taking time out.

The identified narratives performed and told in daily life may guide the development of palliative care services to support people with advanced cancer in creating meaning in the remains of their lives.

Dignity therapy (DT) is a brief form of psychotherapy developed for patients living with a life-limiting illness that has demonstrated efficacy in treating several dimensions of end-of-life psychological distress. Our aim was to determine the influence of DT on demoralization syndrome (DS), the desire for death (DfD), and a sense of dignity (SoD) in terminally ill inpatients experiencing a high level of distress in a palliative care unit.

A nonblinded phase II randomized controlled trial was conducted with 80 patients who were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the intervention group (DT + standard palliative care [SPC]) or the control group (SPC alone). The main outcomes were DS, DfD, and SoD, as measured according to DS criteria, the Desire for Death Rating Scale, and the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI), respectively. All scales were assessed at baseline (day 1) and at day 4 of follow-up. This study is registered with http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN34354086.

Of the 80 participants, 41 were randomized to DT and 39 to SPC. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. DT was associated with a significant decrease in DS compared with SPC (DT DS prevalence = 12.1%; SPC DS prevalence = 60.0%; p < 0.001). Similarly, DT was associated with a significant decrease in DfD prevalence (DT DfD prevalence = 0%; SPC DfD prevalence = 14.3%; p = 0.054). Compared with participants allocated to the control group, those who received DT showed a statistically significant reduction in 19 of 25 PDI items.

Dignity therapy had a beneficial effect on the psychological distress encountered by patients near the end of life. Our research suggests that DT is an important psychotherapeutic approach that should be included in clinical care programs, and it could help more patients to cope with their end-of-life experiences.

No study systematically has investigated the supportive care needs of general head and neck cancer patients using validated measures. These needs include physical and daily living needs, health system and information needs, patient care and support needs, psychological needs, and sexuality needs. Identifying the unmet needs of head and neck cancer patients is a necessary first step to improving the care we provide to patients seen in our head and neck oncology clinics. It is recommended as the first step in intervention development in the Pan-Canadian Clinical Practice Guideline of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (see Howell, 2009). This study aimed to identify: (1) met and unmet supportive care needs of head and neck cancer patients, and (2) variability in needs according to demographics, disease variables, level of distress, and quality-of-life domains.

Participants were recruited from the otolaryngology–head and neck surgery clinics of two university teaching hospitals. Self-administered questionnaires included sociodemographic and medical questions, as well as validated measures such as the Supportive Care Needs Survey–Short Form (SCNS-SF34), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General (FACT-G) and Head and Neck Module (FACT-H&N) (quality of life measures).

One hundred and twenty-seven patients participated in the survey. 68% of them experienced unmet needs, and 25% revealed a clinically significant distress level on the HADS. The highest unmet needs were psychological (7 of top 10 needs). A multiple linear regression indicated a higher level of overall unmet needs when patients were divorced, had a high level of anxiety (HADS subscale), were in poor physical condition, or had a diminished emotional quality of life (FACT-G subscales).

The results of this study highlight the overwhelming presence of unmet psychological needs in head and neck cancer patients and underline the importance of implementing interventions to address these areas perceived by patients as important. In line with hospital resource allocation and cost-effectiveness, one may also contemplate screening patients for high levels of anxiety, as well as target patients who are divorced and present low levels of physical well-being, as these patients may have more overall needs to be met.

Patients with advanced cancer can experience debilitating physical symptoms, making participation in exercise programs difficult. This systematic review investigated the recruitment, adherence, and attrition rates of patients with advanced cancer participating in exercise interventions and examined components of exercise programs that may affect these rates.

Relevant studies were identified in a systematic search of CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE to December 2017. Two quality assessment tools were used, and levels of evidence were assigned according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) guidelines.

The search identified 18 studies published between 2004 and 2017. Recruitment, adherence, and attrition rates varied widely among the studies reviewed. The mean recruitment rate was 49% (standard deviation [SD] = 17; range 15–74%). Patient-reported barriers to recruitment included time constraints and difficulties in traveling to exercise centers. Levels of adherence ranged from 44% to 95%; however, the definition of adherence varied substantially among trials. The average attrition rate was 24% (SD = 8; range 10–42%), with progression of disease status reported as the main cause for dropout during exercise interventions.

Concentrated efforts are needed to increase the numbers of patients with advanced disease recruited to exercise programs. Broadening the eligibility criteria for exercise interventions may improve accrual numbers of patients with advanced cancer to exercise trials and ensure patients recruited are representative of clinical practice.

The aim of our study was to identify the influence of such psychological factors as emotional intelligence and perceived competence on caregiver burden in those who care for patients with advanced cancer.

A total of 50 informal caregivers completed self-report assessments of resilience, perceived competence, emotional regulation, positive aspects of care, emotional distress, and burden. We conducted a quantitative study with a cross-sectional design. Descriptive statistics were obtained. Associations between the different variables were assessed using nonparametric and multiple regression analyses.

Participants were mainly female (88%) and had an average of 20 months of caregiving. Their mean age was 47 years (range = 20–79). More than half of scored high on resilience, positive aspects of caring, and emotional distress, moderately on perceived competence, and low on burden. Most caregivers used cognitive restructuring and social support as coping strategies. Inverse negative correlations were observed among emotional distress, emotional state, and burden with perceived competence and positive aspects of caring (p < 0.05). Significant differences were obtained for emotional distress, cognitive restructuring, and resiliency. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that perceived competence, resiliency, and positive aspects of caring were the main predictors of burden.

Resilience, perceived competence, emotional regulation, and positive aspects of care constitute protective factors against caregiver burden. Taken together, these aspects should be promoted by the healthcare staff in order to facilitate caregiver adaptation and well-being.