Psychosocial consequences in offspring of women with breast cancer

Abstract

Objective Breast cancer (BC) accounts for 24% of female cancers, with approximately one quarter of women likely to have offspring aged less than 25 years. Recent publications demonstrate negative psychosocial well‐being in these offspring. We prospectively assessed for psychological distress and unmet needs in offspring of BC patients. Methods Eligible offspring aged 14 to 24 years were consented and completed the Kessler‐10 Questionnaire and Offspring Cancer Needs Instrument. Demographic and BC details were obtained. Results Over a 7‐month period, 120 offspring from 74 BC patients were included. Fifty‐nine mothers had nonmetastatic BC (nMBC), and 27 had metastatic BC (MBC) with median time from diagnosis of 27.6 and 36.1 months, respectively. The prevalence of high/very high distress was 31%, with significantly higher scores reported by female offspring (P = .017). Unmet needs were reported by more than 50% of offspring with the majority of needs relating to information about their mother's cancer. Greater unmet needs were seen in female offspring and offspring with none or one sibling for several domains (practical assistance, time‐out, dealing with feelings, and support from friends; P < .05). Greater unmet needs were seen in regard to feelings for MBC patients' offspring compared with nMBC but were similar for other unmet needs. Conclusions Our study confirms high levels of psychological distress in offspring of BC patients, with female offspring reporting significantly higher emotional distress and unmet needs. More than 50% of respondents reported unmet needs in areas that can potentially be supported, including greater information provision, improving practical issues, and enabling sufficient recreational time.

“There was help for me at the time, but I didn't feel like I deserved it”: exploring the unmet needs of adolescents experiencing maternal cancer in Ireland

“…, 2018). Negative outcomes identified include emotional distress, unmet needs, emotional problems, depression and anxiety, withdrawal, worry and fear stress and sadness (Chan et al. , 2019; Davey et al.…”

“…, 2017). Unmet needs were identified in over 50% of a sample of 120 adolescents where the most common unmet needs were in relation to information about maternal cancer, family issues, support from friends, time-out and recreation, feelings, practical issues and support from other adolescents (Chan et al. , 2019), showing how frequent unmet needs can be.…”

Anxiety and related factors among parents of patients with breast cancer after surgery in Japan: A multi‐informant and multilevel study

“…The prevalence of breast cancer is rapidly increasing, particularly among women in their 30s; approximately 92,000 women in Japan were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 (Cancer Information Service, 2020). Although it is well documented that breast cancer impacts all members of a family, prior research largely considered effects on patients' spouses/partners and children (Chan et al, 2020; Cohee et al, 2020; Din et al, 2017; Walczak et al, 2018). With increasing life expectancy and breast cancer prevalence, there is potentially a growing number of parents who will be alive to witness their daughters' breast cancer diagnoses.…”

Illness unpredictability and psychosocial adjustment of adolescent and young adults impacted by parental cancer: the mediating role of unmet needs

“…A Lancet commission further identified the age range 11-24 years as the highest priority target for youth health and well-being research [7], and studies show that having a parent with cancer during this period can adversely affect the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) [8][9][10][11][12]. In comparison with their peers with "healthy" parents, AYAs living with a parent diagnosed with cancer are at increased risk of internalizing (e.g., depressive symptoms, anxiety and somatic symptoms) and externalizing problems (e.g., aggressive and delinquent behaviors) [8][9][10][13][14][15][16], poorer quality of life, and lower life satisfaction [8][9][10][11][12]. Parental cancer is also associated with higher emotional dysregulation, stress-related somatic disorders, lower school performance, and higher unemployment rates in offspring [9,10,12].…”