Psychosocial support programs for people with cancer
Research to understand and address unmet psychosocial support needs among Australians, to prepare for their cancer journey.
About the project
Psychosocial support is critical in preparing people for experiencing cancer and for caregiving roles. Through a series of studies, this program of work seeks to design psychosocial support solutions to prepare patients and carers for the experience of cancer among Australians.
Participants include people experiencing cancer, family-based carers and supporters and psychosocial support service staff.
This program of work comprises of multiple projects using:
- systematic reviews of relevant literature
- qualitative data collection
- collaborative co-design with consumers.
Project goals
This project commenced in January 2020 and seeks to:
- determine the experiences and needs of family-based carers to support people with cancer
- identify and evaluate the current psychosocial support resources available for key population groups, including family-based carers, adolescents and young adults, and people with intellectual disability
- co-design psycho-social support solutions to prepare people for the experience of cancer.
Project lead: Professor Reema Harrison
Other members and collaborators
- Associate Professor Judith Johnson
- Dr Ursula Sansom-Daly
- Our qualitative work with family-based carers highlights that they play a substantial role in providing care but are not well-prepared psychosocially to assume these roles.
- Psychosocial support programs are plentiful but predominantly reactive and respond to specific aspects of caring for people with cancer rather than preparatory programs.
- Requirements for the content and implementation of preparatory programs may vary between those caring for young children, young people and adults.
- Our systematic review further identified that few psychosocial support resources of any kind are targeted to adolescents and young adults with intellectual disability and that this represents a significant gap.
- What Are the Psycho-Social and Information Needs of Adolescents and Young Adults Cancer Care Consumers with Intellectual Disability? A Systematic Review of Evidence with Recommendations for Future Research and Practice
- Preparing for partnerships in cancer care: an explorative analysis of the role of family-based caregivers
- Canteen
- Carers NSW
- Neuroblastoma Australia
- Redkite