Helping cancer survivors after treatment ends
June 14 2021
Congratulations to Deborah Raphael for successfully defended her PhD thesis. Her thesis focused on survivors of haematological cancer. She identified critical evidence about the psychosocial distress they experienced after treatment ended. Barriers to their psychosocial wellbeing revolved around a lack of information and discussion regarding psychosocial issues.
The gap in promoting relevant psychosocial resources also contributed. Significant predictors of distress included not being born in Aotearoa/New Zealand, low social support and high fear of cancer recurrence. In her thesis she recommends implementing ‘distress screening’ as part of post-treatment follow-up to identify survivors who may be struggling. She also identified a need for individualised psychosocial interventions that are suitable for haematological cancer survivors in the post-treatment period.
Check out her publications on the topic:
Raphael, D., Frey, R., & Gott, M. (2020). Psychological support requirements of haematological cancer survivors: how can health professionals meet their needs? Psychology, health & medicine, 1-13. doi:10.1080/13548506.2020.1778752
Raphael, D., Frey, R., & Gott, M. (2020). Distress in post-treatment hematological cancer survivors: Prevalence and predictors. Journal of psychosocial oncology, 38 (3), 328-342. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2019.1679320
Raphael, D., Frey, R., & Gott, M. (2019). Maintaining psychosocial wellbeing for post-treatment haematological cancer survivors: Strategies and potential barriers. European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society, 38, 36-41. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2018.11.011
Raphael, D., Frey, R., & Gott, M. (2019). The nature and timing of distress among post-treatment haematological cancer survivors. European journal of cancer care, 28 (1) doi:10.1111/ecc.12951
Raphael, D., Frey, R., & Gott, M. (2017). Psychosocial distress in haematological cancer survivors: An integrative review. European journal of cancer care, 26 (6). doi:10.1111/ecc.12640