Introduction

Cancer may cause significant disruptions in normal adolescent development particularly in social domains. Both treatment and survivorship pose challenges to fostering social connections. To better understand these challenges, we conducted a systematic literature review of the experience of social isolation and connectedness in adolescents with cancer and adolescent survivors of childhood cancer.

Methods

A systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted following PRISMA Guidelines. Eligible articles included original peer-reviewed research published in English between January 2000 and April 2020 that reported on social domains of patients and survivors of cancer between the ages of 10–21. Initial database search identified 4606 articles with 43 studies meeting inclusion criteria.

Results

Results were synthesized into four domains: (1) the prevalence of connectedness/isolation; (2) risk factors associated with social isolation; (3) protective factors against social isolation; (4) the impact of social isolation on psychological health. Overall, adolescent patients and survivors of cancer have satisfactory social connectedness. However, certain subgroups including those with central nervous system tumors are at higher risk of social isolation.

Conclusions

In general, adolescent cancer patients and survivors report levels of social connectedness consistent with healthy adolescent population norms. The risk and protective factors identified in this review may help serve as important indicators for psychosocial screening and interventions. These findings are particularly relevant in the COVID-19 era as all adolescents face challenges to social connections and psychosocial development.

中文翻译：

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青少年癌症患者和儿童癌症幸存者的社会隔离和联系：系统综述

介绍

癌症可能会导致正常青少年发育的严重中断，尤其是在社会领域。治疗和生存都对促进社会联系提出了挑战。为了更好地理解这些挑战，我们对患有癌症的青少年和儿童期癌症幸存者的社会隔离和联系进行了系统的文献综述。

方法

按照PRISMA指南对科学文献进行系统的审查。符合条件的文章包括2000年1月至2020年4月之间以英语发表的经过同行评审的原始研究，该研究报道了10-21岁之间癌症患者和幸存者的社会领域。初始数据库搜索确定了4606篇文章，其中43篇研究符合纳入标准。

结果

结果被综合到四个领域：（1）连通/隔离的流行；（2）与社会孤立相关的危险因素；（三）防止社会孤立的保护因素；（4）社会隔离对心理健康的影响。总体而言，青春期患者和癌症幸存者具有令人满意的社交联系。但是，某些亚组，包括患有中枢神经系统肿瘤的亚组，具有较高的社会隔离风险。

结论

一般而言，青春期癌症患者和幸存者报告的社交联系水平与健康的青春期人口规范相符。本评价中确定的风险和保护因素可能有助于作为社会心理筛查和干预措施的重要指标。这些发现在COVID-19时代尤为重要，因为所有青少年都面临着社交关系和社会心理发展的挑战。