Evidence mapPaperPMID 41706339Full record

SynthesisQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2026

The association among psychological factors, pain severity and quality of life in people living beyond adolescent and young adult cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Min Yang, Lore Smeets, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Emma Rheel, Kelly Ickmans, Sophie Pleysier, Eva Roose

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-AnalysisReview
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In one paragraph

Synthesis in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Min Yang *Pain in Motion Research Group (PAIN), Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6290-4505
Lore Smeets *Department of physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy MWE (KIMA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-7439-0728
Ishtiaq AhmedPain in Motion Research Group (PAIN), Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6763-6324
Emma RheelPain in Motion Research Group (PAIN), Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5299-261X
Kelly IckmansPain in Motion Research Group (PAIN), Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0751-6504
Sophie PleysierPain in Motion Research Group (PAIN), Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3319-6874
Eva RoosePain in Motion Research Group (PAIN), Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium. eva.charlotte.s.roose@vub.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8720-6543

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis systematic review and meta-analysis examined associations among psychological factors, pain severity, and quality of life (QoL) in people living beyond adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer.

methodsFour databases were searched from inception till November 16th, 2024. This review was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews database (PROSPERO) (No. CRD42024613478). Meta-analysis estimated effect sizes as Pearson correlation coefficients (r) by using a random-effects model. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach.

resultsSeventeen articles (13,446 participants) were included. A multilevel meta-analysis of 12 studies (11,962 participants) found that adverse psychological factors may be associated with poorer QoL overall (r = − 0.31; 95% CI: − 0.40 to − 0.22, very low certainty). Adverse psychological factors including worse perceived vulnerability, mental health, anger, cancer-related impact, life satisfaction, body image, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and distress may be associated with overall poorer QoL. Both worse psychological well-being and worse body image may have associations with worse global QoL. Worse mental health, cancer-related impact, life satisfaction, anger, depressive symptoms, anxiety, body image, and psychological well-being may be associated with poorer social functioning. Worse mental health, anger, and body image may be associated with poorer physical functioning. Worse body image and distress may be related to poorer emotional functioning. Worse anger, depressive symptoms, and body image may be associated with worse pain interference. Worse body image may also be associated with poorer role and cognitive functioning. Evidence was insufficient to pool results on pain severity.

conclusionAdverse psychological factors are associated with poorer overall QoL and QoL dimensions in people living beyond AYA cancer. AYA-tailored therapies can be developed based on these findings to enhance healthcare for this unique group of oncology patients. More research is needed to clarify the association among specific psychological factors, pain severity, and multidimensional aspects of QoL.

Indexed as

Cancer PainCancer SurvivorsNeoplasmsPainQuality of LifeAdolescentAdultBody ImageHumansYoung AdultCancer survivorsNeoplasmsPain measurementPatient reported outcome measuresPsychology

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.