Association of Health-related Quality of Life with Resilience among Mothers of Children with Cancer: a Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Childhood cancer as a life-threatening illness has negative consequences for both the patients and their family. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of child cancer on their mother's quality of life and to assess the association of quality of life with resilience among mothers of children with cancer. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 145 mothers of children with cancer participated. Data were collected by two questionnaires: (a) PedsQL T Family Impact Module, (b) Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 13. Pearson correlation test was run for the analysis. Results: The result showed that total scale score, HRQOL Summary score, and the Family Functioning Summary Score were 41.68 +/- 20.62, 43.10 +/- 22.40, and 45.06 +/- 24.30, respectively. The mean score of resilience among mothers of children with cancer was 86.80 +/- 19.08. There was a positive association between resilience and all dimensions of life quality (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Measuring HRQOL and resilience in a preventive strategy would help to address vulnerable mothers and to present psychosocial support for them. Designing and implementing family-oriented and parent-focused intervention strategies in health care systems are recommended for improving the quality of life of families with cancer children.