Considerable burden of financial hardship reported for female adolescent, young-adult cancer survivors
FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For female adolescent and young-adult (AYA) cancer survivors, there is a considerable burden of financial hardship related to employment disruption, according to a study published online Oct. 12 in Cancer.
Clare Meernik, M.P.H., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues surveyed AYA cancer survivors using an online survey to examine whether cancer-related employment disruption was associated with financial hardship. Data were included for 1,328 women employed at the time of diagnosis, with a median age of 34 years at diagnosis. At the time of the survey, respondents were seven years from diagnosis.
The researchers found that 32 percent of the respondents experienced employment disruption (reducing hours, taking temporary leave, or stopping work completely because of cancer). Financial hardship related to material conditions or psychological distress was reported by 27 and 50 percent, respectively. Compared with those without disruption, in adjusted analyses, women with disrupted employment reported a higher burden of material conditions and psychological distress (17 and 8 percent higher, respectively).
“Our findings highlight the need for effective interventions to promote job maintenance and transition back to the workforce after cancer treatment, as well as increased workplace accommodations and benefits, to improve cancer outcomes for young women,” Meernik said in a statement.
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