The Development and Process Evaluation of a 3-Day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group Program for Adolescent Cancer
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The Development and Process Evaluation of a 3‑Day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group Program for Adolescent Cancer Survivors Kristina Clarke1 · Pandora Patterson1,2 · Fiona E. J. McDonald1,2 · Claire E. Wakefield3,4 · Ursula Sansom‑Daly3,4 · Brad Zebrack5
© The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Background Adolescents diagnosed with cancer experience unique psychosocial concerns that persist beyond treatment completion into longer-term survivorship. Camp-based, group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) programs are a potential model for providing evidence-informed psychological and peer support to adolescent cancer survivors. Objective This paper describes the development and exploration of the feasibility and acceptability of such a program, Places You’ll Go. This manualised program incorporates five 90-min group ACT sessions within a 3-day camp, teaching ACT strategies in the context of psychosocial impacts of cancer. Method Eight facilitators and twenty-eight Australian adolescent cancer survivors (68% female; age range 12–17 years, M = 15.4 years) participated in the program and evaluation. Feasibility was assessed using facilitator-reported session duration, attendance, quality and content fidelity; facilitators also completed interviews after program completion. Young people completed surveys on program acceptability at the end of each session and at program completion. Results All planned sessions were delivered, with 97% attendance and high fidelity in manualised program delivery. All young people were mostly or very satisfied and would recommend the program to another cancer survivor. Opportunities for peer connection and skill development contributed to perceived program acceptability. Conclusions The Places You’ll Go program was acceptable and feasible to deliver. It is a promising community-based model for promoting peer support and well-being in adolescent cancer survivors, indicating the potential of ACT-based approaches for this population. Further work is underway to evaluate whether the program improves psychosocial wellbeing among participants, and if this is linked to the therapeutic mechanisms underpinning ACT. Keywords Acceptance and commitment therapy · Adolescent and young adult · Cancer · Cancer survivorship · Intervention
* Pandora Patterson [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
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Child & Youth Care Forum
Introduction The rapid psychosocial development experienced in adolescence, including changes in identity, independence, and relationships (Steinberg and Morris 2001), is disrupted by a cancer experience. Globally, good survival rates for children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer (GBD 2017 Childhood Cancer Collaborators 2019) mean that there is a growing population of young people at risk for experiencing ongoing impacts of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment. In Australia, approximately 1000 children and adolescents (0–19 years) are diagnosed with cancer each year, with survival rates a
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