Psycho-oncology
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Whether prognostic awareness benefits terminally ill cancer patients' psychological-existential well-being and quality of life (QOL) is unclear because of lack of well-controlled longitudinal studies. This study longitudinally evaluated the associations of accurate prognostic awareness and prognostic acceptance with psychological distress, existential suffering, and QOL while comprehensively controlling for confounders in Taiwanese terminally ill cancer patients' last year of life. ⋯ Knowing one's poor prognosis and confronting one's impending death without full acceptance and adequate professional psycho-spiritual support may harm more than benefit terminally ill cancer patients' psychological state, existential well-being, and QOL. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring psycho-spiritual support to cancer patients' psychological and existential needs when prognostic information is disclosed.
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Young people who have a parent with cancer experience elevated levels of psychological distress and unmet needs. In this study, we examined the associations between demographics, cancer variables and family functioning and levels of distress and unmet needs amongst young people who have a parent diagnosed with cancer. ⋯ Delineating factors associated with increased distress and unmet needs assist in identifying at-risk young people allowing improved assessment and tailoring of support to improve the psychosocial outcomes of young people impacted by parental cancer.