Fear of cancer recurrence and associated factors in family caregivers of patients with hematologic malignancy receiving chemotherapy: A latent profile analysis
Li Sheng, Yingying Zhu, Yajiao Liu, Haiying Hua, Jingfen Zhou, Long Ye
Abstract
ObjectiveThis study identified the potential subgroups of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in family caregivers (FCs) of patients with hematologic malignancies receiving chemotherapy, as well as exploring factors associated with subgroups.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study involving 206 pairs participating patients with hematologic malignancies receiving chemotherapy and their FCs. Using Mplus 8.3 to perform the Latent Profile Analysis of FCs’ FCR. The FCs’ burden, quality of life, psychological resilience and anxiety as well as their demographic characteristics were compared between the subgroups, with a logistic regression analysis being applied to examine the factors associated with the FCR subgroups.Results206 FCs were classified into two subgroups: “a low level of FCR” (Class 1, 65.4%) and “a high level of FCR” (Class 2, 34.6%). Quality of life, anxiety, and frequency of chemotherapy were significantly associated with the two subgroups.ConclusionFCs of patients with hematologic malignancy receiving chemotherapy had two FCR subgroups,“a low level of FCR”and“a high level of FCR”, in association with quality of life, anxiety, and frequency of chemotherapy. These findings provide the theoretical foundations for screening the FCR factor of FCs and conducting interventions for them.Lay summaryIn this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 206 pairs of patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing chemotherapy and their family caregivers (FCs). Utilizing Mplus 8.3, we performed Latent Profile Analysis to identify subgroups of FCs based on their fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). Additionally, we explored factors associated with these subgroups. Comparative analyses were conducted on FCs' burden, quality of life, psychological resilience, anxiety, and demographic characteristics between the identified subgroups. Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate factors linked to the FCR subgroups. Our results revealed two distinct subgroups among the 206 FCs: one characterized by a low level of FCR (Class 1, 65.4%) and the other with a high level of FCR (Class 2, 34.6%). Significant associations were found between quality of life, anxiety, and the frequency of chemotherapy with these subgroups. These findings lay the groundwork for screening FCR factors in FCs and implementing targeted interventions for them.