A hope-based intervention to address disrupted goal pursuits and quality of life in young adult cancer survivors.

e22135 Background: Young adulthood is a critical time entailing several important life transitions and goal pursuits. Unfortunately, > 60,000 US young adults are diagnosed with cancer yearly, disrupting this pivotal time. Young adult cancer survivors (YACS) have been underserved and understudied, particularly in addressing such sequelae. Hope, a positive psychology construct regarding goal pursuit, is related to better overall quality of life (QOL). Methods: We developed Achieving Wellness After Kancer in Early life (AWAKE), a scalable 8-week app-based program involving educational videos, mood/activity tracking, and telephone-based coaching to promote goal-oriented thinking and QOL in YACS. AWAKE was pilot-tested among 57 YACS (18-40 years) completing treatment within the past two years to examine feasibility and acceptability, and obtain parameter estimates. Participants were recruited from two NCI-designated cancer centers in the South and randomly assigned to AWAKE (n = 38) vs. an attention control (n = 19). We assessed hope (Trait Hope Scale) and QOL (36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General) at weeks 0, 8, and 24. Results: The study sample was 32.2±5.6 years old, 75.0% female, and 77.6% non-Hispanic White. The most prevalent diagnoses were breast cancer (28.6%), hematologic malignancies (12.2%), and melanoma (12.2%). Respondents were largely employed (61.2%), married/stable union (67.3%), and had children (53.1%). Adherence to AWAKE over the 8-week period averaged 86.1% (range: 100.0% at week 1 to 75.7% at week 8). Retention at end-of-treatment was 90.7%. Among AWAKE participants, 90.9% were satisfied with AWAKE; > 84.8% reported that AWAKE components were helpful, with most indicating scores of “quite” to “very” helpful (range: 54.6% for videos to 87.9% for coaching). Moreover, 90.9% indicated that they would recommend AWAKE to a friend with cancer. Trends of higher indices of hope and QOL were observed in AWAKE vs. control participants. Conclusions: Findings indicate the promise of AWAKE in addressing disrupted goal pursuits and overall quality of life among YACS, and provides the basis for sufficiently powered efficacy and effectiveness trials. Clinical trial information: 00086797.