Mothers’ and fathers’ views of family management and health-related quality of life for young adult survivors of childhood brain tumors

Abstract

Purpose To examine associations between fathers’ and mothers’ appraisals of family management and physical and emotional health-related quality of life (QOL) for young adult survivors of childhood brain tumors. Design Cross-sectional. Sample 47 mothers and 39 fathers (39–67 years old); 47 survivors (18–33 years old) Methods Analyses evaluated relationships among family management (Survivor’s Daily Life, Condition Management Ability, Condition Management Effort, Family Life Difficulty, View of Condition Impact, Parental Mutuality), quality of life, and parental role. Findings Except for Parental Mutuality, family management ratings were not significantly different for mothers and fathers, and parental views of survivors’ physical and emotional QOL improved with better family management. Parental role moderated associations between physical and emotional QOL and Survivors’ Daily Life and between emotional QOL and Condition Management Ability, Condition Management Effort, and View of Condition Impact. Implications for Psychosocial Providers Assess and address survivor QOL through family management from multiple perspectives.