This study examined the association between cognitive intra-individual variability (IIV), a non-mean-based indicator of underlying neuropathology, and self-reported everyday functioning of 1,086 women with HIV (WWH) and 494 socio-demographically similar women without HIV (WWoH). Objective cognitive performance across seven domains and the self-rated Lawton & Brody scale of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) were assessed among participants of the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Two types of cognitive IIV were calculated by taking the standard deviation across seven cognitive domains to calculate dispersion: 1) intra-individual standard deviation (denoted as IIV) and 2) coefficient of variation (denoted as IIV).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApproximately 85,000 adolescent and young adults (AYAs; age 15-39) are diagnosed with cancer in the United States annually. Experiencing a cancer diagnosis as an AYA can substantially impact social connections and social health. This paper describes the design and protocol of an observational study to prospectively assess social health and its association with physical activity and quality of life among AYAs after a cancer diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe growing number of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors and their unmet needs demand innovative communication and care strategies. This study uses social media data to examine how survivors' demographic and clinical characteristics relate to their social media use. Data from 300 AYA cancer survivors on six social media sites (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, X/formerly Twitter) were collected between August 2022 and March 2023 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and statistical tests (chi-square, Fisher's exact, Welch, Games-Howell post-hoc, logistic regression).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLifelong, guideline-based monitoring for late effects is recommended for childhood cancer survivors (CCS). We examined rates of receiving surveillance tests among at-risk young adult CCS in a population-based study (n = 253; 50% Hispanic/Latino; mean post-treatment interval 14.5 years, range: 5-22).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer face significant psychological distress and encounter barriers accessing mental health care. However, limited research exists on psychological health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) survivors of AYA cancer, particularly in comparison with heterosexual survivors and LGB individuals without a history of cancer.
Methods: Using the National Health Interview Survey (2013-2018), we identified LGB survivors of AYA cancer, LGB individuals without a history of cancer, and heterosexual survivors of AYA cancer.
Background: Survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer experience significant psychological distress and encounter barriers to accessing mental health care. Few studies have investigated racial/ethnic disparities in psychological health outcomes among AYA survivors, and none have compared outcomes within a racially minoritized population.
Methods: National Health Interview Survey data (2010-2018) were analyzed that identified non-Hispanic Black (hereafter, Black) survivors of AYA cancer and age- and sex-matched Black noncancer controls.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the protective and risk factors of substance use behaviors (tobacco, marijuana, e-cigarette, and alcohol) among young adult childhood cancer survivors. The study focused on clinical (receipt of cancer-related follow-up care, treatment intensity, late effects, depressive symptoms, self-rated health) and demographic (race/ethnicity, neighborhood socioeconomic status) factors and their associations with substance use.
Methods: Participants were from the Project Forward cohort, a population-based study of young adult survivors of childhood cancers.
Purpose: Survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer experience psychological distress and insufficient access to mental health care. Few studies have investigated racial/ethnic disparities in psychological health outcomes in this population. This study compared psychological distress, mental health care use, and inability to afford mental health care between Hispanic/Latino survivors of AYA cancer and Hispanic/Latino controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: About 4.5% of new cancer cases affect adolescent and young adult aged between 15 and 39 years in the United States (US). However, the effect of neuropsychiatric conditions on long-term adolescent and young adult cancer (AYAC) survivors has not been formally investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are less likely to be physically active compared to non-cancer affected controls, putting them at an increased risk for morbidity and mortality. Preliminary research has examined how mental health may contribute to physical activity (PA) in this population; however, those more recently diagnosed and Hispanic survivors have been understudied. The objectives were to examine associations of dimensions of depressive symptoms, demographic characteristics, and cancer-related predictors with PA among a diverse sample of young adult childhood cancer survivors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) experience many long-term health problems that can be mitigated with recommended survivorship care. However, many CCS do not have access to survivorship care nor receive recommended survivorship care. We reviewed the empirical evidence of disparities in survivorship care for CCS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediatric Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among childhood cancer survivors (CCS) measures the impact of illness and treatment from the patient's perspective. However, parents often serve as proxies when the child cannot provide information directly. Studies of agreement between parents' proxy assessment and child's self-report have shown discrepancies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Sexual and physical abuse are highly prevalent among women living with HIV (WLWH) and are risk factors for the development of mental health and substance use disorders (MHDs, SUDs), and cognitive and medical comorbidities. We examined empirically derived patterns of trauma, MHD, and SUD, and associations with later cognitive and health outcomes.
Methods: A total of 1027 WLWH (average age = 48.
Foraging preferences are known to differ among bee taxa, and can also differ between male and female bees of the same species. Similarly, bees can prefer a specific flower sex, particularly if only one sex provides pollen. Such variation in foraging preferences could lead to divergent bee communities visiting different flower sexes of a plant species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: While limited, dyadic research demonstrates the interdependent relationship between the health and adjustment after treatment between cancer survivors and caregivers. We examined interrelationships between coping resources and mental health among childhood cancer survivors (CCS)-parent dyads.
Methods: One hundred sixty CCS-parent dyads from the Project Forward pilot study completed validated questions assessing social support, religiosity, spirituality, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress.
Our understanding of how bees (Apoidea) use temperate forests is largely limited to sampling the understory and forest floor. Studies over the last decade have demonstrated that bee communities are vertically stratified within forests, yet the ecology of bee assemblages immediately above the canopy, the canopy-aerosphere interface, remains unexplored. We sampled and compared bee communities above the canopy of a temperate forest to the understory (1 m), midstory (10 m), and canopy (20 m) on the campus of the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States from April to August, 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn adolescent and young adult cancer (AYAC) patient is an individual who has received a cancer diagnosis between 15 and 39 years of age. They require significant survivorship care due to a combination of practical, physical, and mental health problems, but research in these areas is sparse. This study aimed to identify the unmet needs, barriers, and facilitators for conducting AYAC survivorship research in Southern California (SoCal) from the providers' and researchers' perspectives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Advancements in treatment and supportive care have led to improved survival for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer; however, a subset of those diagnosed remain at risk for early death (within 2 months of diagnosis). Factors that place AYAs at increased risk of early death have not been well studied.
Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry was used to assess risk of early death in AYAs with hematologic malignancies, central nervous system tumors, and solid tumors.
Introduction: Survivors of colorectal cancer (CRC) are at risk for late effects of therapy and recurrence of cancer. With recurrence rates ranging between 30−40%, follow-up care is needed for both early detection and management of late effects. Cancer care delivery for CRC patients was significantly disrupted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, with decreases of 40% in such services in the United States between April 2020 and 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreased life expectancy of people with HIV has health implications including the intersection of the long-term use of antiretroviral treatment, inflammatory events, and age-related immunosenescence. In a cross-sectional study utilizing using the Socio-Eecological Model, we identified pathways of cognitive function (CF) among 448 women with HIV, 50 years and older. A structural equation model showed the direct effects of mood (β = -0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Melanoma survival literature predominantly represents patients >65 years of age. Study of younger patients may reveal potential age-group-specific differences in survival outcome.
Objective: Identify factors associated with differences in melanoma survival in 2 age groups, adolescents and young adults (AYAs; ages 15-39) and older adults (ages 40-64).
Purpose: Young adult childhood cancer survivors (YACCSs) are often impacted by cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and psychological distress. Using the Project Forward Cohort, we evaluated the relationship between CRCI and substance use behaviors.
Methods: YACCSs were surveyed between 2015 and 2018 (N = 1,106, female = 50.
Background: Skin cancer is the most common secondary malignancy among young adult childhood cancer survivors (YA-CCS). Skin examination to detect skin cancer early (including melanoma as well as basal or squamous cell skin cancers), both physician-based (PSE) and self-skin exam (SSE), is recommended, particularly for radiotherapy-exposed YA-CCS who are at high risk of developing skin cancer.
Methods: Awareness and prevalence of skin examination and demographic, clinical, and healthcare correlates were examined in a population-based sample of YA-CCS with diverse cancer types excluding melanoma.
Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to explore Hispanic parents of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) perceptions of facilitators and barriers to their caregiving experience.
Methods: We conducted semi-structured phone interviews with 15 Hispanic/Latino parents (English and Spanish). Parents were recruited using a purposive sampling method in a safety-net hospital in Los Angeles County from July-September 2020.