Normative Social Support in Young Adult Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Following a cancer diagnosis, young adults (YAs; that is, 18-39) often experience altered social relationships with family, friends, romantic partners, and peers. In light of the social struggles YA patients and survivors report due to cancer’s biographical disruption, we elicited narratives from 30 YA cancer survivors to examine how their normative perceptions of social support functioned to hinder and assist them in coping with the cancer experience. Through thematic narrative analysis of their individual accounts, YA survivors explained why and how they perceived various support attempts from peers and loved ones to be effective (i.e., being treated “normally”), ineffective (i.e., receiving pity, negative stories, rudeness, excessive self-monitoring, and returns from estrangement), and both effective and ineffective (e.g., instrumental and relational support) in integrating cancer into their biographies. Implications for the advancement of interpersonal communication theory and for the development of age-appropriate communication interventions, educational programs, and informational resources are discussed.