title: Support providers of sexual minority women with breast cancer: who they are and how they impact the breast cancer experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with adjustment to breast cancer among sexual minority women with breast cancer and their support person.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, sexual minority women with breast cancer and their support provider were asked to self-report social support, distress, and coping, using standardized measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-three (77%) women had a support provider participating in the study. Disclosure of sexual orientation, less helpless-hopeless coping, and support provider perception of high fighting spirit were related to lower patient distress. Lower support provider distress was related to more patient disclosure of sexual orientation, a larger social network, and an underestimation of fatalistic patient coping. An overestimation of patients' anxious preoccupation coping was linked to higher support provider distress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Providing opportunities to sexual minority patients and their support providers to focus on issues such as disclosure of sexual orientation and coping may lower patient and support provider distress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. boehmer@bu.edu
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Boehmer
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Freund
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Linde
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014342:Truth Disclosure