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Parental sense of coherence (SOC) “acts as a crucial mediator” between fear of disease progression and psychological distress among parents and caregivers of children with cancer, according to results from a recent study.
A team of researchers from China conducted the study and published their findings in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing. In addition to exploring the mediating role of SOC in fear of progression and psychological distress, the investigators also identified latent fear of progression profiles among parents and examined their associated factors.
The investigators highlighted that “sustained” fear of progression among parents of children with cancer correlates with psychological distress, influences patterns of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and “impaired caregiving capacity.” They also explained that previous studies have indicated that fear of disease progression is “one of the most common psychological problems among cancer patients and their family members.”
The cross-sectional study recruited 273 parents of children with cancer in China and leveraged latent profile analysis to define fear of progression profiles. The researchers also used multinomial logistic regression techniques “to determine associated factors, and mediation analysis to test the role of SOC.”
Overall, three fear of progression profiles were identified by investigators, including “medication sensitive with low fear (38%), treatment sensitive with moderate fear (21%), and overall high fear (41%).”
Furthermore, disease-related treatment history, individual-related factors, and interpersonal-related factors, such as self-disclosure, “significantly differentiated” the three profiles of fear of progression. The findings also revealed that increased fear of disease progression correlated with higher levels of parental psychological distress.
“Importantly, mediation analyses revealed that SOC significantly mediated the relationship” between fear of progression and parental psychological distress “for the moderate and high fear profiles, but not for the low fear profile,” the investigators explained.
Based on the latent profile analysis, the investigators highlighted that parents of children with cancer “exhibit heterogeneous” fear of progression profiles. In addition, among parents with moderate and high fear levels, SOC is an important mediator between fear of progression and psychological distress.
“These findings underscore the importance of screening for specific [fear of progression] profiles and suggest that tailored interventions designed to enhance SOC could effectively reduce [psychological distress] in high-risk parents,” the researchers concluded.