Spiritual needs of adolescents with cancer: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

TL;DR

This review explores the spiritual needs of adolescents with cancer to help create personalized care plans for this often-overlooked group.

Contribution

The study is the first to systematically synthesize the spiritual needs of adolescents with cancer.

Findings

Five key themes were identified: autonomy, connection, life meaning, positivity, and dealing with death.

Adolescents' spiritual needs significantly impact their health and quality of life.

Healthcare providers should prioritize personalized spiritual care for this demographic.

Abstract

Spirituality is an important component of palliative care, yet research focusing on adolescents remains in its early stages, with few studies addressing the spiritual needs of this group. The study aimed to integrate the spiritual needs of adolescents with cancer and provide a reference for formulating personalised spiritual care plans for this demographic.

Eleven databases (Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Information Resources System, China Biology Medicine, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO) were searched for relevant qualitative studies published from the inception of the database to March 2025. We utilized the Australian JBI Quality Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Research to evaluate the quality of the included studies and utilized thematic analysis approach for data analysis. Presentation of this synthesis adhered to the PRISMA guideline.

Eight papers were included, yielding 13 sub-themes. Five integrative themes were summarised, including ‘Being autonomous’, ‘Being connected’, ‘Finding the meaning of life’, ‘Having a positive attitude’, and ‘Dealing with death’.

Spirituality is an important part of the lives of adolescents with cancer, significantly affecting their spiritual health and quality of life. However, the spiritual needs of this group are often overlooked. Paediatric healthcare workers should facilitate access to spiritual care and support them through comprehensive and personalised interventions.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-025-01904-1.

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