) Young adult cancer survivors experience greater long-term psychosocial and physical health problems relative to pediatric and older adult cancer survivors. The development and training of researchers equipped to understand how to promote health and well-being in young adults will be crucial to meeting these significant public health concerns. My long-term goal is to become an independent, cancer researcher prepared to identify the biopsychosocial processes that impact young adult survivors and translate findings into effective solutions to promote health. Thus, a primary goal of this proposal is to understand the role and impact of social support related exchanges on psychological adjustment (e.g., depressive symptoms), physical health symptoms, and neuroendocrine stress markers (i.e., salivary cortisol and salivary alpha amylase) in young adult women with breast cancer. Despite overwhelming evidence that young adults increasingly communicate in technology-based formats, models of social support provision are predominantly based on face-to-face verbal exchanges. For my doctoral dissertation research, I am investigating the relationships of technology-based (vs. face-to-face) support-related exchanges among young adult women with breast cancer and an identified social support network member with cancer-relevant physical, mental, social, and physiological outcomes. Face-to-face and technology-based support-related exchanges will be observed by utilizing engagement in a communication task. Exchanges will be coded for the level of person-centeredness and specific word content (i.e., affective, social, and cognitive processing) expressed during the communication task, communication factors known to characterize supportive exchange. Further, differences between coded content expressed through face-to-face and text message exchanges will be tested. Overall communication processes (e.g., person-centeredness, word content measures) and communication mode will be examined within a biopsychological frame to investigate relationships of support related exchanges and physical and mental health, psychosocial factors, and biological stress measures. My predoctoral research utilizes a theory driven approach to provide critical knowledge of the transactional nature of communication processes that serve to promote or hinder psychological and physiological distress. During my postdoctoral training I will deepen my focus on meeting the support needs of young survivors through more advanced training in translational psychoneuroimmunology and understanding how interventions can impact mental and physical well-being over time. I plan to strengthen and broaden my current knowledge of young adult cancer survivorship through gaining a deeper understanding of psychoneuroimmunological related processes, cancer biology and medical oncology among young survivors. This additional training will ultimately provide firsthand experience into the unique survivorship concerns expressed across the survivorship continuum. Overall, the training outlined in both phases of the fellowship will provide the necessary skills needed to facilitate my transition into a successful independent cancer researcher.
Developmental models of effective support communication have not included young adult cancer survivors or fully considered electronic communication exchanges even though effective support communication contributes to decreases in psychological distress and beneficial alterations in cancer-relevant biological stress processes. This project explores the transactional role of technology-related and face-to-face social support communication among young adult breast cancer survivors utilizing a biopsychosocial approach. Improving our understanding of support related exchanges among this group provides critical knowledge useful to the development of targeted interventions, and best practices among care providers, as well as identifying psychosocial and biological targets relevant to long-term physical and emotional health.
