Cancer-related identities in people diagnosed during late adolescence and young adulthood

Identity labels with which people diagnosed with cancer identify may have important implications for post-cancer adjustment, yet little is known about these identities, and virtually nothing about them in people diagnosed during late adolescence and young adulthood (LAYA). We examined (1) the extent to which LAYA participants endorse different identities, (2) relations between identities and subsequent adjustment (positive/negative impact of cancer, quality of life, health behaviours), and (3) coping as mediating identity-adjustment links.

A longitudinal study in which 120 participants at Time 1 (T1) and 84 participants at Time 2 (T2; 1 year later) were assessed.

Participants had been diagnosed between ages 15 and 39. Demographics, cancer-related variables, adjustment, and identities (victim/patient/someone who has had cancer/survivor/conqueror/member of the cancer community) were measured.

Late adolescence and young adulthoods with cancer identify with a variety of terms. At both time points, someone who has had cancer was the most highly endorsed identity. Survivor and member of the cancer community were also frequently chosen. Generally, T1 survivor, conqueror, and member of the cancer community identities were positively correlated with T2 adjustment, whereas victim and patient identities were negatively correlated with T2 adjustment. Both T1 member of the cancer community identity and T2 emotional expression coping independently and positively predicted T2 positive self-evaluation even when T1 positive self-evaluation was controlled.

Forming empowering identities (e.g., survivor) and emphasizing community identity (member of the cancer community) appear helpful to post-cancer adjustment. Future studies need to examine cancer-related identities and mechanisms explaining identity-adjustment links in this understudied group.