Worse Mental Health Trajectories Seen for Survivors of Teen, Young Adult Cancer

WEDNESDAY, May 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Survivors of adolescent and young adulthood (AYA) cancer have significantly worse mental health trajectories into middle or older adulthood, according to a study published online May 19 in JAMA Network Open.

Anao Zhang, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a cohort study using cross-sectional data from the Health and Retirement Study to characterize mental health outcomes among U.S. adults older than 50 years, focusing on survivors of AYA cancer.

Data were obtained for 39,668 respondents: 374, 5,045, and 34,249 respondents reported having cancer in AYA, received a first-time cancer diagnosis after study onset as adults, and never had cancer, respectively. The researchers found that compared with other cohorts, survivors of AYA cancer had the highest prevalence of lifetime psychiatric issues (16.36 to 37.80 percent), prescription anxiety and/or depression medication (25.10 to 33.78 percent), and meeting major depression criteria (13.13 to 20.96 percent). AYA cancer survivors had higher odds of lifetime psychiatric issues (in four of 14 waves), similar odds of taking anxiety or depression medications, and higher odds of meeting major depression criteria (in three of seven waves) compared with adult cancer survivors and even after adjustment for demographic covariates. Age-dependent U-shaped trajectories were seen for depression and anxiety symptoms in linear mixed-effect growth models; mean levels of symptoms were significantly higher for AYA cancer survivors. Later in life, AYA cancer survivors had a flattening of anxiety symptoms.

“As the number of AYA cancer survivors continues to grow, it remains a critical priority to improve survivorship outcomes using a holistic approach,” the authors write.

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