title: Psychosocial functioning and career decision-making in Israeli adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined how dispositional optimism, health vulnerability, and time perspective were related to adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors' career decision-making (CDM) and quality of life (QOL). Secondarily, how cultural factors relate to CDM and QOL among Israeli-Jewish and Israeli-Arab cancer survivors was explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one cancer survivors (68.6% females, 80.4% Israeli-Jewish, 19.6% Israeli-Arab, M(age) = 21.45 years), at least 6 months post-active treatment (M(time) = 5.75 years) completed self-report questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multiple regression analyses indicated that optimism, vulnerability, and past negative, present fatalistic, and future time perspective were significantly associated with QOL (F(6, 47) = 6.80, P < 0.001) and CDM (F(6, 47) = 2.46, P < 0.04). Perceived vulnerability explained the main portion of QOL variance with greater vulnerability associated with lowered QOL (beta = 0.33, P < 0.001). Optimism was positively associated with QOL (beta = 0.55, P < 0.02). Greater present fatalistic time perspective was associated with greater CDM difficulties (beta = 0.32, P < 0.05). Multivariate analyses indicated greater past negative time perceptions (F(1, 46) = 8.92, P < 0.005) and fatalism about the future (F(1, 46) = 5.90, P < 0.02) among Israeli-Arabs as compared to Israeli-Jewish survivors. Israeli-Jewish survivors were more optimistic than Israeli-Arab survivors (F(1, 46) = 3.48, P < 0.065).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vulnerability, optimism, and time perspective were significantly associated with QOL and CDM among Israeli AYA cancer survivors. Israeli-Arabs viewed their pasts and futures more negatively and reported lower optimism than Israeli-Jews. Implications for future research and interventions were considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284, USA. mstern@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krivoy
authors.forename: Rebecca H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bitsko
authors.forename: Amos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toren
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben-Arush
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult