Perceptions of Young Adult Central Nervous System Cancer Survivors and Their Parents Regarding Career Development and Employment

Purpose: Identify barriers to career development and employment from both the survivor and parent perspective.

Method: Young adult survivors (N = 43) and their parents participated in focus groups to elicit information regarding perceptions regarding career development and employment.

Results: Perceptions of both the young adults and parents indicate that there is a significant need for comprehensive career and employment services targeted for young adult central nervous system cancer survivors.

Conclusions: Findings provide initial evidence and support for the need to incorporate career and vocational services into psychosocial treatment programs. More research is needed in this area to gain an understanding of the specific career and vocational needs and to further explore how the interaction between the young adults and their parents impact vocational outcomes.