Cancer Experiences amongst Ethnically Minoritised Young People

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Experiences of cancer and cancer care amongst ethnically minoritised young people in the UK

  • IRAS ID

    322167

  • Contact name

    Wing Suen Lynette Chan

  • Contact email

    lc943@canterbury.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 0 months, days

  • Research summary

    Many patient experience studies have highlighted reports of poorer experiences of cancer care, quality of life and health outcomes amongst ethnically minoritised populations (Pinder et al., 2016). This project aims to explore the experiences of cancer and cancer care amongst ethnically minoritised young people in the UK.

    Adolescence and young adulthood is a period of vulnerability for mental health risks (Monasterio et al., 2016), and a period of time in which adversity can substantially influence future health and quality of life trajectories. Few studies have begun to explore the psychosocial experiences of young people with cancer. However, research has shown that ethnically minoritised young cancer patients are more likely to have additional unmet needs, poorer quality of life and prognosis than the white ethnic group (Moke et al., 2019; Murphy et al., 2021). This population is faced with a ‘double disparity’, where they struggle with the challenges of a transitional age in tandem with barriers associated with identifying as ethnically marginalised (Munoz et al., 2016). Little is known about how racially marginalised population makes sense of their cancer, its impact and cancer care. Hence, there is a clear need to understand the experiences and challenges faced by these ethnically marginalised young people with cancer in the UK who present with complex support needs in order to optimise their quality of life and long term outcomes.

    Young cancer patients from ethnically minoritised backgrounds aged between 16-25 will be invited to take part in an interview lasting 1 hour to talk about their experiences of cancer and cancer care. Data will be analysed using a qualitative methodology to elicit common themes from their narratives.

  • REC name

    East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1

  • REC reference

    23/ES/0012

  • Date of REC Opinion

    20 Apr 2023

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion