Taking control over our health: Empowerment as perceived by young adults living with advanced cancer

Abstract

Background: Health-related empowerment is a key concept in person-centred care. However, little is known of its core elements in young adults diagnosed with advanced cancer. Objective: To explore empowerment in the context of young adults’ healthcare experiences who are now in advanced stages of cancer. Setting & Participants: Twelve young adults (aged 21 to 39 years) were recruited from a large cancer centre in Montreal, Quebec. Methods: In-depth interviews lasting between 36 and 90 minutes were conducted individually, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Throughout the cancer trajectory, participants reported a sustained desire to be actively involved in their treatment and care. Four themes emerged from the data representing processes of waiting, managing, acting, and revisiting. Subsumed under these were notions of body ownership, facing obstacles to care, optimizing health, and (re)considering their legacy.Conclusions: Overall, participants wanted to remain in control of their situation despite the multiple challenges related to advanced cancer. If corroborated further, these findings should inform supportive cancer care approaches that are truly tailored to the needs of young adults.Keywords: advanced cancer; cancer; empowerment; health-related empowerment; oncology; peer support; young adults