“Empathy without sympathy”: An analysis of support-related preferences among young adult cancer survivors

Abstract

Objectives

Young adult cancer survivors often experience altered social relationships which may be a result of social support networks not knowing how to effectively provide the support young adults need. This study aimed to identify and describe themes of young adults’ support preferences when engaging in cancer-related conversations and examine whether psychological distress is associated with support-related preferences.

Methods

Young adult survivors (M^age=35.12, N = 59) completed validated self-report measures of depression, cancer-related stress, social isolation, and two open-ended questions on types of preferred support.

Results

Listening (81.4%) was most commonly preferred; showing pity/worry (33.9%) was most undesired. Other types of preferred support included empathy, validation, encouragement (42.4%), and honest conversation (23.7%); common types of undesirable support included being uninterested and changing the subject (32.3%), insensitive comments and questions (25.4%), and negative stories/personal comparisons (23.7%). Greater depressive symptoms (OR = 1.21, p = .05) were associated with a preference for honest conversations whereas lower depressive symptoms (OR = 0.83, p = 0.05) and greater cancer-related stress (OR = 1.07, p = .02) were associated with a preference for conversations that did not contain advice. Lastly, lower perceived social isolation (OR = 0.88, p = .05) was associated with a preference for conversations that were not minimizing and that did not contain expressions of pity/worry.

Conclusions

Study findings can inform communication interventions and educate support networks about types of support young adults prefer when discussing cancer-related concerns.

Keywords:

• cancer survivorship
• psychological distress
• qualitative
• quantitative
• social support
• young adult cancer

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Army of Women, GRYT Health, Lacuna Loft, and the Young Survival Coalition for their assistance in recruitment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number F99CA222727 (PI: Darabos; Hunter College, City University of New York). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. This research was additionally supported by funds from the American Psychological Foundation (PI: Darabos) and the Graduate Center Doctoral Student Research Grant (PI: Darabos). KD is supported by an NCI Training Grant (K00CA222727; PI: Darabos, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). Part of these data were supplied by the Bureau of Health Statistics & Registries, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Health specifically disclaims responsibility for any analyses, interpretations or conclusions.