Moderating effects of perceived growth on the association between fear of cancer recurrence and health-related quality of life among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.

We examined whether (1) fear of cancer recurrence was related to lower health-related quality of life and (2) perceived growth moderated the link between fear of recurrence and health-related quality of life. About 292 adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (diagnosed with cancer at ages 15-34) completed a cross-sectional survey. Fear of recurrence was related to poorer physical and mental health-related quality of life. The negative association between fear of recurrence and mental health-related quality of life was moderated by perceived growth. Fostering perceived growth may mitigate the adverse associations of fear of recurrence and health-related quality of life.