Discursive constructions of youth cancer: findings from creative methods research with healthy young people

As part of work to understand the experiences of young people who had cancer, we were keen to examine the perspectives of peers who share their social worlds. Our study aimed to examine how cancer in young people, young people with cancer and young cancer survivors are represented through language, metaphor and performance.

We generated data using creative activities and focus group discussions with three high school drama classes and used Foucauldian discourse analysis to identify the discursive constructions of youth cancer.

Our analysis identified two prevailing discursive constructions: youth cancer as an inevitable decline towards death and as overwhelming personhood by reducing the young person with cancer to 'cancer victim'.

If we are to understand life after cancer treatment and how to support young people who have been treated for cancer, we need a sophisticated understanding of the social contexts they return to. Discourses shape the way young people talk and think about youth cancer; cancer as an inevitable decline towards death and as overwhelming personhood is a key discursive construction that young people draw on when a friend discloses cancer.

The way cancer is constructed shapes how friends react to and relate to a young person with cancer. These constructions are likely to shape challenging social dynamics, such as bullying, that many young cancer survivors experience. Awareness of these discursive constructions can better equip young cancer survivors, their family and health professionals negotiate life after cancer.