Research Projects
Current Funded Projects
Project: Dyadic and social network influences on health and well-being among young adults with cancer
Funding: National Cancer Institute, K01CA297648 (PI: Katie Darabos)
Project Period: 08/07/2025-07/31/2030
Summary: Cancer among young adult couples is a profoundly distressing experience, extracting a significant toll on their relationships (e.g., with partners, family, friends). Effective communication within social relationships is critical for fostering health and well-being of couples coping with cancer. This study uses innovative methods (social network analysis, ecological momentary assessment, salivary bioscience) to examine interrelationships between young adult couples’ communication, both within (couple) and outside (social network) their social relationships. Results will inform targeted interventions that foster the long-term health and well-being of young adult couples coping with cancer.
Project: Development of a brief social connectedness and communication intervention among young adult couples with cancer: An application of the ORBIT model
Funding: New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research Pilot Grant (PI: Katie Darabos)
Project Period: 07/01/2025-06/30/2027
Summary: To ensure that the unique needs and life experiences of young adult couples coping with cancer are met, intervention development must be tailored for them. Our formative qualitative work among young adult couples guides the development of intervention content focused on three areas: 1) information and resources tailored for young adult couples; 2) challenges around communication and changes within their couple relationship; and 3) challenges and opportunities for maintaining disruptions in their relationships with their social support networks (e.g., family, friends). This project will develop, refine, and test the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based intervention for young adult couples coping with cancer.
Project: Real-time tracking of neighborhood environments and activity spaces on health behaviors, perceived stress, and well-being among young adults with cancer
Funding: American Institute for Cancer Research Investigator-Initiated Grant (PI: Katie Darabos)
Project Period: 01/01/2026-01/01/2027
Summary: Research has documented the essential role that the neighborhood environment plays in facilitating health and well-being among individuals with cancer, including our own prior work. Neighborhoods are often treated as a static indicator corresponding to residential address. This project will expand beyond the residential neighborhood environment to examine how exposure to multiple other environments (e.g., work, school, leisure activity spots) influence health and well-being among this mobile young adult survivor population.
Completed Funded Projects
Project: Assessment of social network change among adolescent and young adults with cancer: Relationships with health and well-being
Funding: New Jersey Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Research Center of Excellence Pilot Grant (PI: Katie Darabos)
Project Period: 07/01/2024-06/30/2025
Summary: Social connectedness (connections/relations with others) is one of the most documented psychosocial factors cited as influencing health and well-being among adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYAs). One key challenge among AYA is the significant and abrupt changes in their social relationships. Limited work has focused on identifying the changes within the social networks of adolescents and young adults with cancer that confer risk. The goals of the current study were to fill a critical gap in the literature by using social network analysis to longitudinally characterize the social networks of AYA cancer survivors. Data analysis is underway.
Project: A biopsychosocial approach to behavioral oncology in young adults
Funding: National Cancer Institute, F99CA222727 (Hunter College); K00CA22727 (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) (PI: Katie Darabos)
Project Period: F99 (09/14/2017-05/31/2019); K00 (06/01/2019-07/01/2022)
Summary: These projects stem from a Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award from the National Cancer Institute. The F99 (predoctoral) portion of this grant filled a gap in the young adult cancer support-related literature by focusing on the role of communication mode (e.g., face-to-face, text message) within cancer-related conversations. We found that communication behaviors (e.g., disclosing thoughts/feelings) were particularly important for facilitating well-being among YAs engaged in cancer-related conversations via technology modes (text, social media). The K00 (postdoctoral) portion of this grant focused on cancer-related decision-making among adolescents and young adults with cancer. In our qualitative work, one consistent theme was that AYAs often leaned on various members of their support networks (e.g., family, friends, partners, providers) to help guide and support decision-making. Findings highlight the role that social network members play in facilitating decision-making. In our quantitative work, we found that AYAs who felt less supported in their decision-making had higher cortisol levels, highlighting the role of decision-making support and physiological responding.