LAUSR

In recent years there has been an increased awareness of the need for adolescent and young adult (AYA) agespecific psychosocial interventions as an intrinsic part of cancer treatment. Although some age-appropriate support is available, AYAs report dissatisfaction with the type of support that is offered and have an unmet need for services 1 year post-treatment. Creatively crafting one’s feelings into words may have a therapeutic benefit, in part, by reshaping one’s perspective of life events. In this study, a creative writing workshop was designed and implemented as an intervention for AYAs at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to explore the feasibility and impact of the program. Peer-based therapeutic programs are invaluable resources for AYAs learning to cope with their illness and promote psychosocial development. However, many AYAs do not choose to participate in formal peer-based programs during treatment, using denial and routine as coping mechanisms. The greatest need for an intervention may occur at the end of treatment when the AYA is transitioning to life after cancer. During this time, studies have reported high levels of distress, worse quality-of-life outcomes, and post-traumatic stress symptoms, suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder. Expressive writing has been shown to be beneficial to patients’ physical and psychosocial well-being. Previous research in this area has focused primarily on breast cancer patients, although expressive writing has been explored in other cancers. In these studies, long-term improvement in health outcomes such as quality of life, stress, and a reduction in medical visits for cancer-related morbidities was shown. Although there are reports of expressive writing used in oncology, this is the first to report utilization of a structured program in the AYA population.