Expectation toward future, social self-efficacy in adolescents after bone cancer treatment

Purpose of the article: to assess expectations toward future in adolescents after bones cancer treatment and to deep relationship between expectations toward future, resilience and social self-efficacy. Method, 32 adolescents with past bone cancer experience and 48 adolescents selected in a normative sample, were requested to fill a questionnaire about Expectations for future, Egoresiliency, Social Self-efficacy. Results, adolescents with cancer experience had more optimistic expectations toward future and were less open to experience compared to normative sample. In clinical sample expectations toward future were negatively related to global ego-resiliency and positively to impulse control; conversely in normative sample expectations toward future were positively correlated to global ego-resiliency, openness to new experience and social self-efficacy. Conclusions, in the period immediately following bones cancer treatment, patients’ positive expectations toward future could express an unrealistic optimism rather than a correct evaluation.