A Qualitative Evaluation of the Youth-Check Program: A Psychosocial Intervention Aimed at Young People with Cancer

OBJECTIVES: In many countries, there is a lack of structured psychosocial health interventions to support young people with cancer. Thus, we developed the nurse-led intervention the Youth-Check Program with the aim of supporting young people with cancer. The aim of the study was to evaluate young patients with cancer and their parents' experiences of the program.

DATA SOURCES: In total, 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants were young patients with cancer, aged 12-18 years (n = 10) and parents aged 41-53 years (n = 13). Data were analyzed thematically using Malterud's systematic text condensation.

CONCLUSION: Three themes were derived: "The Youth-Check Program offers a safe space that led to openness among the young people," "participation in the Youth-Check Program met parents' needs for support for their teenager," and "the Youth-Check Program provided new insights that were not always taken into account."

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The Youth-Check Program is a feasible and useful nurse-led intervention, which can be implemented for the benefit of young people with cancer. However, to strengthen the Youth-Check Program, it is important to define young people's individual needs to make sure they are met according to their specific preferences. Most young people took on more treatment responsibility, and they were empowered to set their own agenda in terms of what kind of support they needed in relation to topics that preoccupied them. The parents were given much needed support for their teenagers.