title: Experience of fatigue in adolescents living with cancer.
abstract: This article reports on a small-scale exploratory study conducted with cohorts of adolescents during and after treatment of cancer to explore experiences of fatigue and perceptions of its impact on functioning. A concurrent mixed method design was used to enable detailed understanding of the phenomenon of fatigue in these groups of individuals through convergence of quantitative and qualitative data. Participants completed an investigator-designed Fatigue and Quality of Life Diary for a period of 1 week. Second, they took part in a semistructured interview to explore issues around fatigue and functioning in more detail. Eight adolescents undergoing treatment participated in the study, along with 6 in early remission (1-2 years off treatment) and 8 receiving follow-up (5 or more years off treatment). Data gained from these sources suggested that fatigue can be a considerable problem for adolescents during and after treatment, and that it may not necessarily abate quickly. Some individuals perceived that their quality of life remained compromised many years after treatment, and it seemed that fatigue might play an important part in this. These preliminary findings suggest that research into management of fatigue in this adolescent group is warranted, along with research and development to determine how best to provide supportive care once treatment finishes.
authors.affiliation: Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, England. emma.ream@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ream
authors.forename: Faith
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seption
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mulhall
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Richardson
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000451:nursing; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology