Cancer and the family: Variations by sex and race/ethnicity
Date
2024-02-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cancer Medicine
Abstract
Background
Cancer affects patients and their families, but few data are available on factors associated with diversity of family structures among patients with cancer. Family is a source of both support and responsibility that must be understood to support patients and their families.
Methods
Pooled data (2004–2015) from the National Health Interview Study were used to compare characteristics of cancer survivors with and without minor children and differences by sex and race/ethnicity among survivors with minor children.
Results
13.9% of cancer survivors have minor children in the household, and this experience is more likely for women and people who identify as other than non-Hispanic White.
Conclusion
There are considerable differences by sex and race/ethnicity in the characteristics of cancer survivors with minor children. Clinicians should make consideration of family circumstances a routine part of their history. Doing so will help to identify potential sources of support and responsibility that may affect adherence.
Description
This article was originally published in Cancer Medicine. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.6969. © 2024 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This research was featured in UDaily on 04/10/2024, available at: https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2024/april/health-behavior-african-american-cancer-research-family-intervention/
Keywords
adolescents, cancer survivors, children, family life cycle, kinship networks, parents
Citation
Asiedu C, McKinney NS, Willis AI, Lewis FM, Virtue S, Davey A. Cancer and the family: Variations by sex and race/ethnicity. Cancer Med. 2024; 13:e6969. https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.6969