Health-Related Hindrance of Personal Goal Pursuit and Well-Being of Young Adults with Cystic Fibrosis, Pediatric Cancer Survivors, and Peers without a History of Chronic Illness

OBJECTIVE: Study examined content of personal goals, health-related hindrance (HRH; i.e., impact of health on goals), and relationship of HRH to health status and psychological well-being in young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF; n = 48), who survived childhood cancer (n = 57), and without history of chronic illness (n = 105). METHODS: Participants completed measures of life events, quality of life, psychological well-being, and goals. RESULTS: No group differences were found on goal content. HRH significantly related to subjective well-being and distress after controlling for demographics, negative life events, physical health-related quality of life, disease status, and self-efficacy. HRH related to health status variables. Cancer survivors without cancer late effects had significantly less HRH than the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Health status may affect pursuit of personal goals and relate to well-being of young adults. The assessment of HRH has potential clinical utility for targeting interventions and warrants further research.