Development of the functional social network index for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors

Background To the authors' knowledge, social network status in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors has not been adequately studied to date. The authors developed and validated a functional social network index (FSNI) for AYA survivors, and compared its performance with that of 2 traditional indices (density and betweenness centrality). Methods A total of 102 AYA survivors and 102 noncancer controls who were matched for age, sex, and race were recruited from an Internet panel. Each participant reported relationships with up to 25 close friends and/or relatives. The authors developed a FSNI with reported marital status, contact frequency with friends/relatives, available resources for emotional and tangible support, and available resources for physical activity and weight management advice. Linear regression was used to analyze associations between the FSNI and cancer diagnoses, treatments, and coping skills. Results Based on the FSNI, survivors were found to have more available resources for emotional support (beta [b] = 3.02; P = .003), tangible support (b = 4.17; P .05) nor significant associations with coping skills (all P values >.05). Conclusions The FSNI appears to provide a better social network assessment for AYA cancer survivors than traditional indices. Cancer 2018;124:2220-7. © 2018 American Cancer Society.