QUALITY OF LIFE : ADOLESCENT SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER

Abstract

This study seeks to find out if there is a difference in the quality of life between adolescent childhood cancer survivors and adolescents with no cancer experience. Both survivor and comparison group sample respondents were between the ages of 14 and 20 years. The survivor group sample consisted of 7 adolescents who have been in remission for between 5 to 10 years. The comparison group sample comprised 10 adolescents from 1 secondary school and 1 junior college. A semi-structured interview schedule was designed and used in addition to the Generalized Contentment Scale (Hudson, 1982). The psychosocial and spiritual well-being of the adolescents were explored during the interview. Thereafter, the scale was used to gauge the adolescents' level of non-psychotic depression. The results showed that the adolescent survivors had a slightly higher quality of life than the comparison group, outscoring the latter in terms of family relation and spiritual inclination.