Help me, help you: The role of friends in supporting young people with cancer
Who is doing this research?
Help me, help you is a PhD project led by Bec Sampson (Curtin University & Telethon Kids Institute) and supervised by Dr Amy Finlay-Jones, Professor Peter McEvoy, Dr Vincent Mancini and Dr Fiona McDonald.
Her research focuses on promoting the well-being and mental health of young people with chronic health conditions using a strengths-based approach. Bec is passionate about having young people participate in the research to ensure that the work is relevant to, and meeting the needs of young people.
The focus of her PhD project is on understanding the role of friends in supporting young people with cancer. The aim is to give friends the resources and skills to be able to effectively support their friend through the challenges young people with cancer face. Bec’s project comes from a lived experience perspective and has a focus on ensuring young people are engaged across the research process.
Why is this research needed?
Young people with a cancer diagnosis have unique challenges when compared to children and adults with cancer as they face both the developmental demands of being a young person and the challenges associated with cancer. As a result, young people with cancer face higher and more enduring distress compared to other populations with cancer and compared to physically healthy young people. Understanding how to reduce distress and improve wellbeing in young people with cancer is therefore a priority. Existing research suggests that by strengthening friendships for young people with cancer, we may be able to improve their resilience and wellbeing outcomes. However, there are few resources to support friends of young people with cancer, and those available focus on providing basic education on the impact of cancer rather than skills for developing supportive friendships. This project focuses on building the capacity of young people to better support their friends with cancer.
Who is funding the research?
This research is supported by a Healthway PhD Research Scholarship awarded to Bec Sampson.
How can I get involved?
Please contact Bec.Sampson @ telethonkids.org.au
Register your interest in Bec’s study here