Poster Presentation 2025 National Cancer Survivorship Conference

Understanding social participation among Australian childhood cancer survivors (#125)

Clarissa Schilstra 1 2 , Sarah Ellis 1 2 , Andrew Sedger 3 , Claire Wakefield 1 2 , Richard Cohn 1 2 , Suncica Lah 4 , Joanna Fardell 1 2
  1. UNSW Sydney, Randwick, NSW, Australia
  2. Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
  3. Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW, Australia
  4. School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia

Objective: Compared to healthy peers, childhood cancer survivors (CCSS) are more vulnerable to poorer quality of life, including poorer social outcomes. However, levels of social participation, and risk factors for poor social participation in this population, are not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to describe levels of social participation among childhood cancer survivors and investigate relationships between social participation and potential psychosocial and demographic risk factors.

Methods: Child and adolescent (n = 52, M = 11.9 ± 2.7 years) and young adult (n = 21, M = 20.5 ± 2.1 years) survivors of childhood cancer (diagnosed under the age of 15) were recruited from the long-term survivorship clinic at the Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital between 2017 and 2020. Self- report surveys assessed levels of social participation before and after cancer, social skills, cognitive function and depression symptoms. Relationships between study variables were examined through bivariate analyses.

Results: Young adult survivors (aged 25+) spent significantly more time per week in total social participation (M = 28.8 ± 25.49 hours) than child and adolescent survivors (M = 10.84 ± 8.82 hours.). No significant relationships were found between total social participation and social skills, cognitive function or depression symptoms. Child and adolescent survivors with lower responsibility and engagement spent more time on social media apps. Young adult survivors with higher skills in personal disclosure and negative assertion spent more time in extracurricular and general social activities with friends.

Conclusion: The findings suggest social participation among survivors is highly correlated with age. Social skills such as responsibility, engagement and disclosure seem to play a key role in survivors' level and type of social participation. Encouraging face-to-face rather than online social participation may be particularly key to survivorship care for younger survivors, who are still needing to develop and practice critical social skills.