Psychosocial profiles of risk and resiliency in neurofibromatoses: a person-centered analysis of illness adaptation.

Abstract

We sought to characterize psychosocial profiles of adaptation to neurofibromatosis (NF). Participants (N = 224) completed self-report measures of psychosocial functioning, including risk (i.e., perceived stress, depression, anxiety) and resiliency (i.e., gratitude, optimism, coping, social support, mindfulness, empathy). We used a TwoStep hierarchical cluster analysis to determine clusters reflecting adaptation to NF. The analysis revealed two distinct groups, with the "Low Adaptation" group defined by high emotional distress and low resiliency (n = 130; 57% of participants), and the "High Adaptation" group defined by low emotional distress and high resiliency (n = 85; 37% of participants). Clusters differed significantly across nearly all criterion variables, as well as quality of life and pain interference. Both risk and resiliency factors are important for understanding psychosocial adaptation to NF. Findings suggest that clinical providers should prioritize screening and intervention methods targeting these variables to promote positive adaptation to NF. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03406208; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03406208 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/72ZoTDQ6h ).