Department of Psychology, Logan Hall, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2220, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA.
NM Department of Health, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2022 Dec;29(4):943-953. doi: 10.1007/s10880-022-09858-9. Epub 2022 Feb 12.
A clearer understanding of the association between a biomarker of long-term stress reactivity and family functioning among pediatric cancer survivors may guide both survivorship research and clinical practice. The current study examined the relationship between a long-term measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity (cortisol concentration; CORT) and parent-reported family functioning (Family Environment Scale; FES) in a cross-sectional sample of survivors (n = 26) and controls (n = 53). Child CORT was not different in survivors and controls, though treatment severity was significantly related to child survivor CORT. Child CORT and parent CORT were positively correlated. Cancer survivor parents reported greater FES Organization. Child CORT was inversely associated with FES Independence, while parent CORT was inversely correlated with FES Organization. Parent CORT and FES Independence were significant and unique predictors of child CORT. Our results provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between a stress biomarker, child CORT, and family functioning among pediatric cancer survivors and controls.
更清楚地了解长期应激反应生物标志物与儿科癌症幸存者家庭功能之间的关系，可能有助于生存研究和临床实践。本研究在幸存者（n=26）和对照组（n=53）的横断面样本中，检验了下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）活动（皮质醇浓度；CORT）的长期指标与父母报告的家庭功能（家庭环境量表；FES）之间的关系。幸存者和对照组的儿童 CORT 没有差异，但治疗严重程度与儿童幸存者 CORT 显著相关。儿童 CORT 和父母 CORT 呈正相关。癌症幸存者父母报告了更大的 FES 组织。儿童 CORT 与 FES 独立性呈负相关，而父母 CORT 与 FES 组织呈负相关。父母 CORT 和 FES 独立性是儿童 CORT 的重要且独特的预测因素。我们的研究结果初步证明了儿科癌症幸存者和对照组的应激生物标志物、儿童 CORT 和家庭功能之间存在关系。
