Evolution of Emotional Symptoms Over Time Among Daughters of Patients With Breast Cancer

This study longitudinally profiled anxiety and depressive symptoms of daughters of patients with breast cancer and examined the mother׳s survival status, the daughter׳s age at the time of mother׳s diagnosis, and the style of family communication about breast cancer as moderators of change in symptomatology across participants׳ first 3 appointments at the University of California, Los Angeles Revlon Breast Center High Risk Clinic.

We evaluated the effects of hypothesized predictors on change in anxiety and depressive symptoms, 3 (symptomatology at first, second, and third clinic visits) × 2 (mother survived or died) × 2 (<20 or ≥20y old at diagnosis) × 2 (open or closed family communication) repeated-measures analyses of variance were employed.

There was a main effect for time of diagnosis on state anxiety, demonstrating a significant reduction in anxiety across clinic visits overall (p < 0.001). There were also significant 3-way interactions. For state anxiety, mother׳s survival status moderated the time of diagnosis × age at diagnosis and time of diagnosis × family communication interaction effects. For daughters whose mothers died, decreased anxiety was observed in those who were younger at the time of diagnosis (p = 0.001). For daughters whose mothers survived, anxiety was decreased for those with closed family communication styles (p = 0.001). The time of diagnosis × mother׳s survival × age at diagnosis interaction was also significant for depressive symptoms (p = 0.001). Among daughters whose mothers died, those who were younger showed decreases in symptoms (p = 0.004).

These daughters appeared to benefit from the high-risk program as demonstrated by decreased symptomatology, particularly daughters whose mothers died who were younger at the time of diagnosis.