Pain, Internalizing Symptoms, Posttraumatic Stress, and Alcohol Use Among Young Adult Survivors of Cancer

Background/Objectives Pain is a prevalent late effect of cancer that can disrupt critical developmental milestones during young adulthood. This study examined the relationship between pain and psychosocial outcomes in young adult (YA) survivors of cancer. Methods One hundred YA cancer survivors completed measures assessing pain, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and alcohol use at baseline and follow‐up (2–4 weeks later). Results In multivariate regression analyses, higher pain predicted poorer outcomes across all domains at follow‐up ( p ’s <.05). Conclusions Pain predicts psychosocial outcomes in YA cancer survivors, underscoring the need for routine assessment of and early intervention for pain to support psychological well‐being.