{"title":"Fertility anxiety partially mediates depression and recurrence fear in reproductive-age cervical cancer patients: A cross-sectional study.","authors":"Xin-Ying He, Ying Huang, Cheng-Ping Qiao, Jiao Ma, Xue Han, Xue-Mei Fan, Qin Chen","doi":"10.5306/wjco.v16.i9.110031","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cervical cancer survivors of childbearing age often face heightened reproductive anxiety due to the direct impact of the disease and its treatments on fertility. This anxiety may exacerbate psychological burdens, including depressive symptoms and fear of recurrence, significantly impacting quality of life.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To examine whether reproductive concerns partially mediate the relationship between depressive symptoms and fear of recurrence in cervical cancer patients of childbearing age.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Utilizing a cross-sectional design with convenience sampling, 208 eligible cervical cancer patients (aged 18-45 years, stable condition, and aware of diagnosis) from three tertiary hospitals completed validated questionnaires: The Reproductive Concerns After Cancer Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Fear of Cancer Recurrence Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the mediating role of reproductive concerns in the relationship between depression and fear of recurrence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Reproductive concerns demonstrated significant positive correlations with depression (<i>r</i> = 0.477, <i>P</i> < 0.001) and fear of recurrence (<i>r</i> = 0.426, <i>P</i> < 0.001). Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that reproductive concerns acted as a significant partial mediator between depression and fear of recurrence. The indirect effect via reproductive concerns was significant (<i>β</i>_indirect = 0.152, <i>P</i> < 0.001), accounting for 28.1% of the total effect of depression on fear of recurrence.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Identified path reveals fertility anxiety links depression to recurrence fear. Targeted psych interventions for repro concerns may ease both in childbearing cervical cancer survivors.</p>","PeriodicalId":23802,"journal":{"name":"World journal of clinical oncology","volume":"16 9","pages":"110031"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12476602/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"World journal of clinical oncology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.5306/wjco.v16.i9.110031","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ONCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Cervical cancer survivors of childbearing age often face heightened reproductive anxiety due to the direct impact of the disease and its treatments on fertility. This anxiety may exacerbate psychological burdens, including depressive symptoms and fear of recurrence, significantly impacting quality of life.
Aim: To examine whether reproductive concerns partially mediate the relationship between depressive symptoms and fear of recurrence in cervical cancer patients of childbearing age.
Methods: Utilizing a cross-sectional design with convenience sampling, 208 eligible cervical cancer patients (aged 18-45 years, stable condition, and aware of diagnosis) from three tertiary hospitals completed validated questionnaires: The Reproductive Concerns After Cancer Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Fear of Cancer Recurrence Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the mediating role of reproductive concerns in the relationship between depression and fear of recurrence.
Results: Reproductive concerns demonstrated significant positive correlations with depression (r = 0.477, P < 0.001) and fear of recurrence (r = 0.426, P < 0.001). Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that reproductive concerns acted as a significant partial mediator between depression and fear of recurrence. The indirect effect via reproductive concerns was significant (β_indirect = 0.152, P < 0.001), accounting for 28.1% of the total effect of depression on fear of recurrence.
Conclusion: Identified path reveals fertility anxiety links depression to recurrence fear. Targeted psych interventions for repro concerns may ease both in childbearing cervical cancer survivors.
期刊介绍：
The WJCO is a high-quality, peer reviewed, open-access journal. The primary task of WJCO is to rapidly publish high-quality original articles, reviews, editorials, and case reports in the field of oncology. In order to promote productive academic communication, the peer review process for the WJCO is transparent; to this end, all published manuscripts are accompanied by the anonymized reviewers’ comments as well as the authors’ responses. The primary aims of the WJCO are to improve diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive modalities and the skills of clinicians and to guide clinical practice in oncology. Scope: Art of Oncology, Biology of Neoplasia, Breast Cancer, Cancer Prevention and Control, Cancer-Related Complications, Diagnosis in Oncology, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Genetic Testing For Cancer, Gynecologic Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Hematologic Malignancy, Lung Cancer, Melanoma, Molecular Oncology, Neurooncology, Palliative and Supportive Care, Pediatric Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Translational Oncology, and Urologic Oncology.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
