This Australian study looked at the interventions available to adolescents and young adults (AYA's) between the ages of 15 and 25 bereaved by a parent or sibling's cancer. A systematic review of the literature was carried out. Twenty two interventions were identified that were available for bereaved young people, however only 3 were specific to young people bereaved by familial cancer and none were specific to AYA's. Interventions primarily provided opportunities for participants to have fun, share their experiences and/or memorialise the deceased. Psychoeducation about bereavement, grief and coping was less common. Only a small number of interventions had bene evaluated and overall the evidence was very limited. The authors conclude it is unclear at present which interventions currently available would benefit AYA's and further development and evaluation is needed.
Ing, V. 2019. Interventions available to adolescents and young adults bereaved by familial cancer: a systematic review of the literature. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, epub ahead of print. August 2019.
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