Facilitators and Challenges in Psychosocial Adaptation to Being at Increased Familial Risk of Breast Cancer.
Little is known about the process of psychosocial adaptation to familial risk in tested and untested individuals at increased familial risk of cancer. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of 36 women participating in the Kathleen Cuningham Consortium for Research into Familial Breast cancer (kConFab) Psychosocial study. Facilitators and challenges in psychosocial adaptation were identified through semi-structured interviews. The women, who were either tested (carriers or non-carriers of breast cancer susceptibility mutations) or untested (ineligible for testing or eligible but delayed or declined testing), described personal, support network and healthcare characteristics that impacted on the adaptation process. Challenges in one domain could be overcome by facilitators in other domains and key differences relating to whether women had undergone testing, or not, were identified. Tested and untested women with an increased familial risk of breast cancer may benefit from support tailored to their mutation testing status in order to enhance adaptation.
Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group (PoCoG), University of Sydney, Level 6 North, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse (C39Z), NSW, 2006, Sydney, Australia. Louise.Heiniger@sydney.edu.au.|School of Psychology, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Sydney, Australia. Louise.Heiniger@sydney.edu.au.
Louise
L
Heiniger
Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group (PoCoG), University of Sydney, Level 6 North, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse (C39Z), NSW, 2006, Sydney, Australia.|School of Psychology, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Sydney, Australia.
Melanie A
MA
Price
School of Psychology, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Sydney, Australia.
Margaret
M
Charles
Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group (PoCoG), University of Sydney, Level 6 North, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse (C39Z), NSW, 2006, Sydney, Australia.|School of Psychology, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Sydney, Australia.
Phyllis N
PN
Butow
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support
Breast cancer; Declined; Delayed; Genetic testing; Ineligible for testing; Psychosocial adaptation; Qualitative