Medical College of Wisconsin
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Quantifying the psychosocial impact of a weekend retreat on adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology patients. J Psychosoc Oncol 2020;38(6):702-713

Date

07/08/2020

Pubmed ID

32633705

DOI

10.1080/07347332.2020.1786876

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85087840616 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   1 Citation

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine if AYA oncology patients experienced a quantifiable improvement in psychosocial outcomes after attending a weekend retreat with their peers.

METHODS: AYA oncology patients attended a weekend retreat. They completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) before, 1 month after, and 6 months after the weekend retreat. Controls were age-matched oncology patients who did not attend the retreat.

FINDINGS: Retreat participants' scores did not significantly change over time; however, retreat participants' scores at 1-month follow-up were significantly higher than control group scores.

CONCLUSIONS: AYA oncology patients may experience transient improvement in psychological well-being after attending a retreat, but benefits may not be durable. Work remains needed to examine the impact of retreat attendance on specific aspects of psychosocial well-being. Implications for psychosocial oncology: Work is needed to decrease perceived attendance barriers for AYA oncology patients who have a low quality of life. Future retreat planners may consider modifying retreat activities and consider alternative retreat locations that appeal to campers with limited mobility, chronic pain, and/or other quality of life limitations. Additional study is needed to determine whether brief overnight or weekend retreats can be as effective as week-long camps in enhancing oncology patients' quality of life. Future researchers should compare changes in weekend retreat attendees' quality of life to changes in quality of life for a control group (e.g., via a waitlist control study design).

Author List

Antonetti C, Stromberg SE, Costello A, Faith MA, Shaw PH

Author

Peter H. Shaw MD Associate Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Camping
Case-Control Studies
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Male
Neoplasms
Peer Group
Quality of Life
Young Adult