Caregivers’ Cancer Recurrence Fear, Caregiver Communication, and Patient Adjustment in Pediatric Oncology

<title>Abstract</title> <p> Objective The purpose of this preliminary, exploratory study was to evaluate (1) prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of caregivers’ fear about their child’s cancer recurring, (2) the extent to which caregivers perceive accurately communicating medical risks with their child who has cancer, and (3) potential links between caregivers’ fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), caregiver-child communication about children’s medical risks, and children’s caregiver-reported internalizing symptoms. Methods Caregivers ( <italic>N</italic>  = 95, 76.8% mothers; 78.9% White/Caucasian; 15.8% Hispanic) of children with cancer ( <italic>M</italic> _{<italic>Age</italic>} ( <italic>SD</italic> ) = 9.83(5.85) years) completed questionnaires assessing socio-demographics, caregivers’ FCR, caregiver-child communication about the child’s cancer-related medical risks, and children’s internalizing symptoms. Results Caregivers who identified as white/non-Hispanic and caregivers with children ≤ 12 years old reported greatest FCR. Recency of child diagnosis and child age were positively associated with caregivers’ open cancer-related communication with their child. Caregivers’ FCR was positively linked with children’s caregiver-reported internalizing symptoms. Caregivers who reported low FCR and reported withholding cancer-related communication tended to have children with greatest caregiver-reported internalizing symptoms. Conclusions This preliminary study lays groundwork for continued research exploring caregivers’ and pediatric patients’ FCR, including links between FCR and other domains of caregivers’ and patients’ psychosocial adjustment. Future research should incorporate patients’ self-reported internalizing symptoms, explore additional FCR predictors, and identify the threshold for caregivers’ and patients’ FCR clinical significance. </p>