Factors associated with social functioning among long-term cancer survivors treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as adolescents or young adults.

ObjectiveHematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can compromise long-term health and social functioning. We examined the impact of physical and social-emotional factors on the social functioning of long-term adolescent and young adult (AYA) HSCT survivors.MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis included HSCT recipients from the INSPIRE trial [NCT00799461] who received their first transplant between ages 15-39. Patient-reported outcome measures included the Short Form-36v2, Fatigue Symptom Inventory, Cancer and Treatment Distress, and the ENRICHD Social Support Inventory. We used hierarchical multiple linear regression to identify physical and social-emotional factors associated with social functioning at the baseline assessment, with the first block including sociodemographic and clinical factors significant at P = ResultsParticipants (N = 279) were 52% male and 93.5% white, non-Hispanic, with a mean age of 30.3 (SD 6.6) at first transplant. Social Functioning mean was 48.5 (SD 10.5), below age-adjusted norms (t = -13.6, P = ConclusionsDistress, fatigue, and physical function are associated with social functioning and interventions targeting these symptoms may help to improve SF among long-term cancer survivors treated with HSCT as AYAs.