Post-traumatic stress symptoms and social constraints in the communication with family caregivers among Chinese-speaking breast cancer survivors

Profiles of social constraints and associated factors among breast cancer patients: a latent profile analysis

BACKGROUND

The present study aimed to identify profiles of social constraints among Chinese breast cancer patients and to explore the variables associated with these patterns.

METHODS

The study recruited 133 Chinese breast cancer patients in Liaoning Province, China, between June 2021 and February 2022. The questionnaire package included the Social Constraints Scale (SCS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), and the Social Impact Scale (SIS). The methods of statistical analysis used included latent profile analysis (LPA) and multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

Three latent patterns of social constraints were found: class 1-the low social constraints group (51.9%), class 2-the moderate social constraints group (35.3%), and class 3-the high social constraints group (12.8%). Patients with high social support were more likely to report a low level of social constraint, while patients with a greater fear of progression were more likely to report a moderate or high level of social constraints. Significant differences existed among the latent classes identified by reference to social constraint in terms of education.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that breast cancer patients' perceptions of social constraints vary and exhibit individual differences. Health care providers should take into account patients' fear of progression as well as their social support when developing interventions for patients with a high level of social constraints.

Family communication and coping among racial-ethnic minority cancer patients: A systematic review

The ability to actively cope with cancer has been extensively associated with better patient-reported outcomes (PROs). This systematic review aims to synthesise the available literature assessing the experience of cancer patients from racial-ethnic minoritised groups. Given the role of sociocontextual factors, greater emphasis was placed on the relationship between family communication and cancer patients' coping within the three largest racial-ethnic minority groups in the United States. Five databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science) were used to search for peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2008 and 2021, investigating family communication patterns, coping, and well-being among Black/African American, Asian, and Hispanic/Latinx cancer survivors. Short reports, chapters, abstracts/summaries, systematic reviews, and conference proceedings were excluded. This review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement (PRISMA). The Criteria for Critically Appraising Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses were used to assess the quality and risk of bias in the included studies. The synthesis process focused on study aims, methods, measures of interests, sample characteristics, data analysis, and study findings. A total of 117 articles were identified, of which 9 met the inclusion criteria. The selected articles were cross-sectional, implementing both quantitative and qualitative designs. Studies included breast, prostate, and mixed cancer types. Sample sizes of quantitative studies ranged from 64 to 338 respondents, while qualitative studies' samples ranged between 9 and 43 participants. Family communication and coping styles varied across minoritised groups, with open family communication contributing to effective individual and family coping. However, empirical evidence about the nature and contribution of family communication to the coping process is sparse. Future research is needed to increase knowledge and psychosocial assessment techniques and interventions targeting family communication and coping among minority communities.

Dyadic effects of family resilience on post-traumatic stress symptoms among breast cancer patients and their primary family caregivers: A cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

The aims of this study were to verify actor and partner effects, by examining the effects of family resilience on post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among Chinese breast cancer patients and their primary family caregivers.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 104 breast cancer patients (age range 20-75, Mean = 47, Standard Deviation = 10), and their principal caregivers (n = 104), were recruited from a comprehensive cancer center of a public hospital in China. The patients and their caregivers self-reported sociodemographic, family resilience, and PTSS factors. The actor-partner interdependence model were adopted to examine whether the patients and caregivers' perceived family resilience could contribute to their own ("actor effect") and each other's ("partner effect") PTSS.

RESULTS

There were significant correlations between patients' and caregivers' shortened Chinese version of Family Resilience Assessment Scale scores (r = 0.58, p < 0.01) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version scores (r = 0.69, p < 0.01). Caregivers' perceived family resilience was negatively related to their PTSS (actor effect), and the patients' PTSS (partner effect). However, the patients' perceived family resilience was not significantly related to their or the caregivers' PTSS.

CONCLUSIONS

The primary caregivers' perceived family resilience had both actor and partner effects on patient/caregiver PTSS within the first year of breast cancer diagnosis. Family-based interventions should be designed to enhance family resilience to decrease PTSS within families dealing with cancer patients. Supportive care should focus on the primary family caregivers within the first year of breast cancer diagnosis.

The effect of fear of progression on quality of life among breast cancer patients: the mediating role of social support

Background

Women with breast cancer are prone to have mental stress and be stimulated by the fear of progression (FOP), then giving rise to a lower quality of life (QOL). The study aimed to examine the relationships between FOP, social support and QOL, and further explore whether social support mediates the association between FOP and QOL among Chinese patients with breast cancer.

Methods

The cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2019 to May 2020 at Anshan Cancer Hospital in Liaoning, China. 244 female breast cancer patients completed questionnaires including the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Breast (FACT-B), Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Fear of Progression (FOP). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the associations between FOP, social support and QOL. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to explore the mediating role of social support.

Results

The mean QOL score was 90.6 ± 17.0 among the patients with breast cancer. FOP was negatively correlated with QOL, while social support was positively related to QOL. Social support partly mediated the association between FOP and QOL, and the proportion of the mediating effect accounted for by social support was 25%.

Conclusions

Chinese breast cancer patients expressed low QOL. Social support could mediate the association between FOP and QOL. Medical staffs and cancer caregivers should alleviate patients’ FOP to improve their QOL by facilitating social support.