A family-based model to predict fear of recurrence for cancer survivors and their caregivers

Although fear of cancer recurrence is a great concern among survivors and their families, few studies have examined predictors of fear of recurrence. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with fear of recurrence in a population-based sample (N = 246) and determine if survivors and family caregivers influenced one another's fear of recurrence. A family framework guided the study and analyses included multilevel modeling using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results indicated that survivors and family caregivers influenced each other's fear of recurrence and that caregivers had significantly more fear of recurrence than survivors. More family stressors, less positive meaning of the illness, and age were related to elevated fear of cancer recurrence for both survivors and caregivers. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.