Impact of Quality of Life on Work Productivity Among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors

With the growth of the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivor population, attention has increasingly focused on long-term outcomes such as employment. In the current study, we compared work productivity between AYA and non-cancer controls (NC) and the association with quality of life. We compared standardized measures of the impact of health on work productivity between AYA survivors ( n = 71) and non-cancer controls (NC; n = 70). Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health was used to index work productivity, and PROMIS measures of quality of life were administered. Results indicated that AYA survivors reported missing more hours of work due to health ( F (1,135) = 5.76, p = 0.018) and rated their health more negatively, impacting work productivity ( F (1,135) = 9.20, p = 0.003), as compared to NC. Poorer self-reported quality of life was associated with greater effects of health impacting work productivity. Finally, self-reported cognitive functioning was more strongly associated with work productivity in the AYA group, as compared to healthy controls. Our results demonstrated that AYA cancer survivors reported long-term health-related impact on work productivity. As the AYA cancer survivor population continues to grow, attention to better characterizing work-related outcomes and identifying interventions to facilitate return to employment will be a critical need.