Communication concerns in mothers with cancer: Development and psychometric properties of a new measure

This study aimed to present the development of the Communication Concerns in Parents with Cancer Scale (CCPCS) and to evaluate its psychometric properties in mothers with cancer.

Two hundred and twenty-nine mothers with cancer participated in this study. Participants reported on parenting concerns, depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality of life. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to explore the factor structure of the new scale. Concurrent and convergent validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated/obtained. To measure invariance according to type of cancer and time passed since diagnosis, a multi-group analysis was used.

EFA suggested that the scale comprised one factor that explained 75.63% of the total variance. The developed CCPCS had high internal consistency. Communication concerns were positively associated with other parenting concerns, as well as anxiety and depression symptoms. Test of measurement invariance showed scalar invariance for type of cancer, and residual invariance for time passed since diagnosis.

The CCPCS seems to be a promising scale to measure communication concerns in mothers with cancer for clinical and research purposes. Knowing the impact of communication concerns in the mother's process of adaptation to cancer can provide clues for the psycho-oncological care offered.