Searching for meaning in life is important to have positive experiences; however, it is challenging for young adults diagnosed with cancer. This study investigates what cancer means to young adults with cancer and how they make life meaningful after a cancer diagnosis. This qualitative study involved 14 young adults recruited from a closed Facebook group. The age range of the participants was between 20 and 39 years, and their survival year was 1–18 years. Semi-structured interviews and a thematic analysis were performed to identify the major themes that emerged from these interviews. The findings identified that cancer means trial, not punishment; cancer does not mean death; it is a second chance at life, and life after cancer is meaningless. Four ways made their lives meaningful: (1) helping people; (2) developing a routine and to-do list; (3) happiness is intangible; and (4) finding solace in the cancer journey. Their meaning in life after a cancer diagnosis was portrayed in a favourable light, with religion and culture playing a significant role in determining how they responded to illness. This study will enrich the existing literature on meaning in life and provide important insight into providing an appropriate support system and strengthening healthcare professional support to help young adults with cancer throughout their cancer journey.
AbeytaA. A.RoutledgeC.JuhlJ.RobinsonM. D. (2015). Finding meaning through emotional understanding: Emotional clarity predicts meaning in life and adjustment to existential threat. Motivation and Emotion, 39(6), 973–983. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-015-9500-3
AhmadiF.Mohamed HussinN. A.MohammadM. T. (2019). Religion, culture and meaning-making coping: A study among cancer patients in Malaysia. Journal of Religion and Health, 58(6).1920–1922. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-018-0636-9
4.
Al EidN. A.AlqahtaniM. M. J.MarwaK.ArnoutB. A.AlswailemH. S.Al ToaimiA. A. (2020). Religiosity, psychological resilience, and mental health among breast cancer patients in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Breast Cancer: Basic and Clinical Research, 14, 1178223420903054, 5–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/1178223420903054
5.
ArpawongT. E.OlandA.MilamJ. E.RuccioneK.MeeskeK. A. (2013). Post-traumatic growth among an ethnically diverse sample of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Psycho-Oncology, 22(10), 2235–2244. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.3286
6.
BarakatL. P.GaltieriL. R.SzaldaD.SchwartzL. A. (2016). Assessing the psychosocial needs and program preferences of adolescents and young adults with cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer, 24(2), 823–833. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2849-8
7.
BartholomewT. T.ScheelM. J.ColeB. P. (2015). Development and validation of the hope for change through counseling scale. The Counseling Psychologist, 43(5), 671–702. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000015589190
8.
BartonK. S.TateT.LauN.TaliesinK. B.WaldmanE. D.RosenbergA. R. (2018). “I’m Not a Spiritual Person.” how hope might facilitate conversations about spirituality among teens and young adults with cancer. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 55(6), 1599–1608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.02.001
BüssingA.OstermannT.MatthiessenP. F. (2005). Search for meaningful support and the meaning of illness in German cancer patients. Anticancer Research, 25(2B), 1449–1455. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-3-10
12.
ClaytonJ. M.HancockK.ParkerS.ButowP. N.WalderS.CarrickS.CurrowD.GhersiD.GlareP.HagertyR.OlverI. N.TattersallM. H. N. (2008). Sustaining hope when communicating with terminally ill patients and their families: A systematic review. Psycho-Oncology, 17(7), 641–659. https://doi.org/10.1002/PON.1288
CreswellJ. W.PothC. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publication.
15.
D’agostinoN. M.PenneyA., & ZebrackB. (2011). Providing developmentally appropriate psychosocial care to adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Cancer, 117(S10), 2329–2334. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.26043
16.
DarabosK.FordJ. S. (2020). “Basically, You Had Cancer and Now You Don’t”: Exploring the meaning of being a “cancer survivor” among adolescents and young adult cancer survivors. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 9(4), 534–539. https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2019.0176
17.
DattiloT. M.OlshefskiR. S.NahataL.Hansen-MooreJ. A.GerhardtC. A.LehmannV. (2021). Growing up after childhood cancer: Maturity and life satisfaction in young adulthood. Supportive Care in Cancer, 29(11), 6661. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00520-021-06260-3
18.
DrakeE. K.UrquhartR. (2020). The experiences of young adults living with metastatic/advanced cancer: A scoping review. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 9(2), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2019.0093
19.
FeldmanD. B.SnyderC. R. (2005). Hope and the meaningful life: Theoretical and empirical associations between goal-directed thinking and life meaning. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24(3), 401–421. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.24.3.401.65616
20.
FidlerM. M.GuptaS.SoerjomataramI.FerlayJ.Steliarova-FoucherE.BrayF. (2017). Cancer incidence and mortality among young adults aged 20–39 years worldwide in 2012: A population-based study. The Lancet Oncology, 18(12), 1579–1589. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30677-0
21.
FranklV. E. (1959). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press.
22.
GeueK.SchmidtR.SenderA.FriedrichM. (2017). Pain experiences and life satisfaction of young adult cancer patients. Schmerz (Berlin, Germany), 31(1), 23–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00482-016-0125-6
23.
GiorgiA. (1997). The theory, practice, and evaluation of the phenomenological method as a qualitative research procedure. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 28(2), 235–260. https://doi.org/10.1163/156916297X00103
GrayM. F.LudmanE. J.BeattyT.RosenbergA. R.WernliK. J. (2018). Balancing hope and risk among adolescent and young adult cancer patients with late-stage cancer: A qualitative interview study. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 7(6), 673–680. https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2018.0048
26.
JimH. S.RichardsonS. A.Golden-KreutzD. M.AndersenB. L. (2006). Strategies used in coping with a cancer diagnosis predict meaning in life for survivors. Health Psychology, 25(6), 753–761. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.25.6.753
27.
JonesB. L.Parker-RaleyJ.BarczykA. (2011). Adolescent cancer survivors: Identity paradox and the need to belong. Qualitative health research, 21(8), 1033–1040. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732311404029
28.
KarlssonM.FribergF.WallengrenC.ÖhlénJ. (2014). Meanings of existential uncertainty and certainty for people diagnosed with cancer and receiving palliative treatment: A life-world phenomenological study. BMC Palliative Care, 13, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-684X-13-28
KleftarasG.PsarraE. (2012). Meaning in life, psychological well-being and depressive symptomatology: A comparative study. Psychology.3(4), 337. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.34048
32.
KrokD. (2018). When is meaning in life most beneficial to young people? Styles of meaning in life and well-being among late adolescents. Journal of Adult Development, 25(2), 96–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-017-9280-y
33.
KrokD.TelkaE. (2018). Meaning in life in cancer patients: relationships with illness perception and global meaning changes. Health Psychology Report. 6(2), 171–182. https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.2018.71636
34.
LeaS.MartinsA.FernL. A.BassettM.CableM.DoigG.MorganS.SoanesL.WhelanM.TaylorR. M. (2020). The support and information needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer when active treatment ends. BMC Cancer, 20(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-020-07197-2
35.
LouisD.MariaH. (1996). University of Groningen Meaning in life Debats, Dominique Louis Henri Maria.7–10.
MarshallS.GrinyerA.LimmerM. (2019). Dual liminality: A framework for conceptualizing the experience of adolescents and young adults with cancer. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 8(1), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2018.0030
38.
Mohamed HussinN. A.Guàrdia-OlmosJ.Liisa AhoA. (2018). The use of religion in coping with grief among bereaved Malay Muslim parents. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 21(4), 395–407. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2018.1500531
39.
MoserR. P.ArndtJ.JimenezT.LiuB.HesseB. W. (2021). Perceptions of cancer as a death sentence: Tracking trends in public perceptions from 2008 to 2017. Psycho-Oncology, 30(4), 511–519. https://doi.org/10.1002/PON.5596
40.
MurphyB. L.DayC. N.HoskinT. L.HabermannE. B.BougheyJ. C. (2019). Adolescents and young adults with breast cancer have more aggressive disease and treatment than patients in their forties. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 26(12), 3920–3930. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-019-07653-9
NeubauerB. E.WitkopC. T.VarpioL. (2019). How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others. Perspectives on Medical Education, 8(2), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40037-019-0509-2
43.
NgH. Y.GrivaK.LimH. A.TanJ. Y. S.MahendranR. (2016). The burden of filial piety: A qualitative study on caregiving motivations amongst family caregivers of patients with cancer in Singapore. Psychology & Health, 31(11), 1293–1310. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2016.1204450
44.
OkaT.AtikahN.HussinM. (2017). The Diversity of Indigenous Wisdom on Grief: Exploring Social Work Approaches to Bereavement. January 2018.
45.
ParkC. L.ChmielewskiJ.BlankT. O. (2010). Post-traumatic growth: Finding positive meaning in cancer survivorship moderates the impact of intrusive thoughts on adjustment in younger adults. Psycho-Oncology, 19(11), 1139–1147. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.1680
46.
RoickJ.EsserP.HornemannB.MehnertA.ErnstJ. (2020). Why Me?-Causal attributions and their relation to socio-economic status and stigmatization in breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer patients. PPmP Psychotherapie Psychosomatik Medizinische Psychologie, 70(1), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0851-6758
47.
RossatoL.BenfatoJ. C.UllánA. M.Scorsolini-CominF. (2022). Religious-spiritual experiences of family members and caregivers of children and adolescents with cancer. Palliative and Supportive Care, 20(5), 711–719. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951521001590
48.
SabriS.Mohamed HussinN. A.ChooiW. T. (2023). Exploration of hope among young adults with cancer in Malaysia. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.13(1), 213–223. https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2023.0016
49.
SchippersM. C.ZieglerN. (2019). Life crafting as a way to find purpose and meaning in life. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02778
50.
SchlegelR. J.HicksJ. A.KingL. A.ArndtJ. (2011). Feeling like you know who you are: Perceived true self-knowledge and meaning in life. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(6), 745–756. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211400424
51.
SchulenbergS. E.HutzellR. R.NassifC.RoginaJ. M. (2008). Logotherapy for clinical practice. Psychotherapy, 45(4), 447. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014331
StegerM. A.OishiS.KashdanT. B. (2009). Meaning in life across the life span: Levels and correlates of meaning in life from emerging adulthood to older adulthood. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(1), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760802303127
54.
SungH.FerlayJ.SiegelR. L.LaversanneM.SoerjomataramI.JemalA.BrayF. (2021). Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 71(3), 209–249. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21660
55.
TeheraniA.MartimianakisT.Stenfors-HayesT.WadhwaA.VarpioL. (2015). Choosing a qualitative research approach. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 7(4), 669–670. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-15-00414.1
56.
Tomás-SábadoJ.Villavicencio-ChávezC.Monforte-RoyoC.Guerrero-TorrellesM.FeggM. J.BalaguerA. (2015). What gives meaning in life to patients with advanced cancer? A comparison between Spanish, German, and Swiss patients. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 50(6), 861–866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.06.015
57.
TraskP. C.PatersonA. G.TraskC. L.BaresC. B.BirtJ. A.MaanC. (2003). Parent and adolescent adjustment to pediatric cancer: Associations with coping, social support, and family function. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 20(1), 36–47. https://doi.org/10.1053/jpon.2003.5
58.
Van ManenM. (1990). Researching Lived Experience: Human Science for an Action Sensitive Pedagogy. State University of New York Press.
59.
VickbergS. M. J.BovbjergD. H.DuHamelK. N.CurrieV.ReddW. H. (2000). Intrusive thoughts and psychological distress among breast cancer survivors: Global meaning as a possible protective factor. Behavioral Medicine, 25(4), 152–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/08964280009595744
60.
WoelkC. J. (2008). Management of hope. Canadian Family Physician, 54(9), 1243–1245. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2553443/pdf/0541243.pdf
61.
ZebrackB. J.CheslerM. (2001). Health-related worries, self-image, and life outlooks of long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Health and Social Work, 26(4), 245–256. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/26.4.245
62.
ZebrackB.KentE. E.KeeganT. H. M.KatoI.SmithA. W. (2014). “Cancer sucks,” and other ponderings by adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 32(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347332.2013.855959
63.
ZebrackB.KwakM.SalsmanJ.CousinoM.MeeskeK.AguilarC.EmbryL.BlockR.Hayes-LattinB.ColeS. (2015). The relationship between post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. Psycho-Oncology, 24(2), 162. https://doi.org/10.1002/PON.3585
64.
ZebrackB. J.StuberM. L.MeeskeK. A.PhippsS.KrullK. R.LiuQ.YasuiY.ParryC.HamiltonR.RobisonL. L.ZeltzerL. K. (2012). Perceived positive impact of cancer among long-term survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the childhood cancer survivor study. Psycho-Oncology, 21(6), 630. https://doi.org/10.1002/PON.1959
65.
Zumstein-ShahaM.FerrellB.EconomouD. (2020). Nurses’ response to spiritual needs of cancer patients. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 48(April), 101792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2020.101792
