A study shows that parenting concerns put mothers with advanced cancer at higher risk for psychological distress, while reducing their quality of life and daily physical functioning.
The study, published in the journal, also showed that mothers with metastatic cancer (which has spread to other sites in the body) had higher average depression and anxiety scores than the general population.
"Among women with metastatic cancer, whose health-related quality of life is strongly linked to their parenting, they worry about the impact of their disease on their minor children," the experts said.
"It seems to help someone assess their quality of life because we often ask about a number of clinical variables," the expert said. "For this study, these patients had metastasized or spread to other parts of the body.
For the study, the researchers conducted an online survey of 224 patients with stage solid tumors that had metastasized or spread to other parts of the body and included at least one child under the age of 18. They also reported lower levels of emotional well-being than all adults with cancer, the researchers found.
The researchers also determined that a mother's emotional well-being was linked to whether she communicated with her child about her illness and how her illness would affect her child.
The experts said: "Factors related to parenting cause you to differ in quality of life almost as much as your functional status." The researchers note that these findings suggest the need for more support for mothers with metastatic cancer.
Parenting concerns put mothers with advanced cancer at higher risk of psychological distress, a study suggests