Bakgrund: Cancer är idag en av de vanligaste sjukdomarna i svenska samhället och klassas som en folksjukdom. Cirka 800 unga vuxna i Sverige drabbas varje år, skelettumörer, maligna lymfom och leukemi är de allra vanligaste cancerformerna hos ungdomar idag. För många unga vuxna med cancer är det till hjälp att få dela med sig sina upplevelser via bloggar för att lättare kunna hantera sin sjukdom. Att ta del av sjukdomsbloggar kan även hjälpa vården gällande förståelse och bemötande av unga vuxna med cancer. Syfte: Att utifrån bloggar beskriva individers upplevelse av att ha cancer som ung vuxen, samt att beskriva vilken betydelse bloggen har för individerna. Metod: En empirisk kvalitativ studie med induktiv ansats. Datainsamling har skett via Google och 9 bloggar har inkluderats i studien. Data har analyserats genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Huvudresultat: Som ung vuxen med cancer uppstod det mycket känslor som de var tvungna att hantera. Informanterna beskrev dessa känslor som en berg och dalbana, ibland var det bra och ibland var det dåligt. Genom bloggandet fick informanterna ett stöd vilket hjälpte dem att hantera sin sjukdomsprocess. Denna studie visade att sjukdomen påverkade informanternas psykiska, sociala och existentiella välmående, upplevelsen mellan hälsa och ohälsa varierade. Informanterna berättade om stödet de fick genom sociala nätverket samt hur de upplevde vårdens bemötande. Slutsats: Unga vuxna med cancer (16-30 år) upplever sin sjukdom som en känslomässig berg och dalbana både på ett psykiskt, socialt och existentiellt plan. Individernas bloggar visade sig ha en stor betydelse under sjukdomsprocessen. För att unga vuxna med cancer ska kunna få bättre omvårdnad idag så är det av vikt att vårdpersonal får en holistisk bild av den drabbade för att den ska få uppleva hälsa och livskvalitet. / Background: Cancer is currently one of the most common diseases in Swedish society and is classified as a national disease. Approximately 800 young adults in Sweden are affected every year, bone tumors, malignant lymphoma and leukemia are the most common cancers in young people today. For many young adults with cancer, it is helpful to gain share their experiences through blogs to more easily manage their condition. Partaking of the disease blogs can also help healthcare current understanding and treatment of young adults with cancer. Aim: To describe individuals' blogs based on experience of having cancer as a young adult and to describe the significance of the blog for the individuals. Method: An empirical qualitative study with inductive approach. Data was collected through Google, and 9 blogs have been included in the study. Data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Main Results: As a young adult (16-30 years) with cancer arose a lot of feelings that they had to deal with. The informants described these feelings like a roller coaster, sometimes it was good and sometimes it was bad. Through blogging the informants felt support, which helped them to manage their disease process. This study showed that the disease affected the informants' psychological and existential well-being, the experience of health and illness varied. The informants told us about the support they felt they received through social network and how they experienced healthcare treatment. Conclusion: Young adults with cancer perceive their illness as an emotional roller coaster, from both a psychological, social and existential perspective. The individuals' blogs showed great importance in the disease process. For young adults with cancer to get a better care today, it is very important that the health professionals get a holistic view of the affected for them to experience health and quality of life.

Bakgrund: Cancer är en folksjukdom och i Sverige insjuknar varje år 800 unga personer i cancer. För unga vuxna som befinner sig i en omvälvande tid i livet resulterar cancersjukdomen i förändrade roller och en förändrad självbild. När livet och hälsan hotas uppstår ett starkt behov av att berätta. Genom berättelsen tydliggörs upplevelser, för sig själv och för andra. Syfte: Syftet är att utifrån relevant litteratur beskriva unga personers känslor kring att leva med en cancersjukdom. Metod: Studien utfördes enligt kvalitativ innehållsanalys och baseras på fyra biografier. Resultat: I resultatet framkom att unga personer med en cancersjukdom upplever både negativa och positiva känslor. Negativa känslor upplevdes framförallt i samband med att få diagnosen, behandlingar och den livsförändring som sjukdomen för med sig. Positiva känslor beskrevs ofta i relationen till anhöriga och vid tankar på framtiden. Slutsats: De känslor som beskrevs i resultatet var centrerade kring sjukdomen, den förändrade tillvaron, relationer, döden och framtiden. Inom alla områden framkom känslor som kunde relateras till lidande och negativ påverkan. Känslor relaterade till hälsa och positiv påverkan var framträdande inom alla områden förutom i relation till själva sjukdomen. Klinisk betydelse: Resultatet av föreliggande studie kan bidra till ökad förståelse hos blivande vårdpersonal och vårdpersonal som arbetar med unga cancerpatienter. / Background: Cancer is a common public health problem, in Sweden there are 800 new young adult sufferers every year. For young adults experiencing an upheaval time in life a cancer disease results in changing roles and an altered self-image. When life and health is threatened there is a strong need to express feelings. Through the narration experiences are clarified, for themselves and for others. Aim: The aim of the study is to describe young people’s feelings of living with a cancer disease, according to relevant literature. Method: The study was formed by a qualitative content analysis based on four biographies. Results: The results revealed that young people with cancer experience both negative and positive feelings. Negative feelings were experienced primarily during time of diagnosis, treatments, and the life changes that comes with the disease. Positive feelings were often described in relation to families and the thoughts of the future. Conclusion: The feelings described in the results were centered on the disease, the altered life, relationships, death and the future. All areas showed feelings that could be related to suffering and negative impact. Feelings related to health and positive impact was prominent in all areas except in relation to the disease itself. Clinical significance: The results of the present study may contribute to a better understanding of future healthcare professionals and current healthcare professionals who work with young patients with cancer. / <p>Röda Korsets sjuksköterskeförening stipendium 2015</p>

Background: Across North America, smoking prevalence is highest among young adults (YAs). Understanding the cessation behaviours of YAs is critical given their higher smoking rates; however, there is a paucity of prospective studies on YA cessation from a population-based sample of smokers. Objectives: This study characterizes younger and older adult smokers as well as identifies the rate of making a quit attempt (QA) and smoking cessation among a representative sample of younger and older adult smokers. Guided by the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this study also examines the interpersonal predictors of moving toward smoking cessation among YAs. Methods: Self-report data on 592 YA and 2777 older adult smokers were compiled from the Ontario Tobacco Survey baseline and six-month follow-up interviews. Smoking cessation behaviour was measured as an ordinal variable: made no attempt to quit, made a QA that lasted for less than 30 days, and successfully quit for 30 days or longer. Design-based analyses examined the characteristics of young and older adult smokers. Making a QA and smoking cessation during a six-month follow-up period were modeled according to the SCT constructs while accounting for the complex study design. Results: Young adult smokers were more likely to be men with lower levels of addiction but greater self-efficacy and an intention to quit than their older counterparts. While YA smokers were more likely to make a QA than their older counterparts (25% vs. 17%, respectively), they were no more likely to succeed (14% vs. 10%, respectively). Having an intention to quit smoking and having made two or more lifetime number of QAs predicted making a QA; the use of smoking cessation aids or resources and having knowledge that stop smoking medications make quitting a lot easier also contributed to making an attempt to quit. Self-efficacy, use of smoking cessation aids or resources and having someone to support one‘s QA were positive predictors of quitting whereas having high levels of addiction was a negative predictor of cessation. Conclusions: Young and older adults are distinct types of smokers with different personal and smoking characteristics. Different factors predicted making a QA and smoking cessation among YAs. Smoking cessation interventions for YAs should provide social support and skills to build and maintain self-efficacy to quit. It is critical to ensure YA smokers have effective smoking cessation aids and services that are easily accessible and appropriate for this population. Future research is needed to understand long-term smoking cessation and relapse in this vulnerable population.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-85). / ix, 85 leaves, bound ill., forms 29 cm

Today's increasingly interconnected world creates new challenges related to the use and understanding of the concept of citizenship. The idea of a global citizenship is not new; however, in recent years there has been an evolution of increasing research leading to the expansion of interest with regard to the exploration of the concept and how it could be implemented in practice. This study attempts to deepen the understanding of the qualitatively different ways of perceiving this concept amongst a number of Indian and Nepalese young adults. The study is based on a phenomenographic research approach, where the data material was collected through semi-structured interviews. The results of the study show that global citizenship can be perceived as being related to equality, cultural diversity, global responsibility, global communication and cosmopolitan governance. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the young adults perceive themselves either only as national citizens, or as both national and global citizens. Finally, the respondents believe that formal education can contribute to the promotion of global citizenship by including the concept in the educational curriculum and by encouraging cultural exchange. The role of formal education in promoting global citizenship is also perceived to be unclear due to terminological confusion.

Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) is an important outcomes measure in cancer and there are specific issues depending on the site, stage, treatment and patient age. Although numerous instruments are available for cancer HRQOL, most are designed for adults, some for children, but none for adolescents and young adults (AYA) who have special age-specific concerns and poor improvement in survival compared with other age groups. An existing HRQOL instrument was modified to ensure its suitability for AYA, its validity, reliability and sensitivity were tested in Australians aged 16 to 25 years old diagnosed with cancer or a blood disorder. Varni’s PedsQLTM Measurement Model (13-18 year olds) was selected, modified then administered to families recruited from haematology/oncology clinics and wards at three Sydney Metropolitan Hospitals in person or by telephone. The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale was used to categorise participants into groups reflecting sensitivity of symptom severity (slight, moderate and severe). The instruments demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability, making them suitable for both group and individual comparisons. Clinical validity, construct validity, and discriminant validity were demonstrated by “known-groups” analysis, exploratory factor analysis and correlations, respectively. These new versions of the PedsQL Generic Core and Cancer Module are reliable, valid and sensitive measures of HRQOL in patients aged 16-25 years diagnosed with cancer or a blood disorder. The measures will soon be available for use as outcome measures in clinical trials and clinical practice with this age cohort in Australasia and internationally.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2004. / Trpescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 192-238.

Thesis (PhD(Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 215-224).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [236]-248).