The integration of the cancer experience into identity: Perspectives from young adults.

The study explored how young adults with cancer create a cancer identity across the illness trajectory. Young adults with hematological cancers ( = 53, ages 20-39) completed a semi-structured interview and brief questionnaire. Deductive thematic analysis was used to code interviews.

Illness Uncertainties Tied to Developmental Tasks Among Young Adult Survivors of Hematologic Cancers.

Purpose: Young adulthood is a period of building autonomy, relationships, and careers. Experiencing cancer as a young adult (YA) is an "off-time" event in the normative adult life cycle and may interrupt age-specific goals. The majority of prior research on illness uncertainty centers on medical concerns about recurrence or mortality.