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Exploring differences in psychological aspects during pregnancy between cancer survivors and women without a history of cancer

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Abstract

Young cancer survivors often wish to bear a child after oncological treatments, as they might not have started or completed their families. As young cancer survivors have a higher risk of developing psychological difficulties, this study investigated whether there were significant differences in psychological aspects between pregnant women who received a cancer diagnosis in the past and pregnant women without a history of cancer. A total of 123 pregnant women, of which 36 were cancer survivors and 87 women without a history of cancer, were recruited during their last trimester at different hospitals in Northern Italy. Patients were asked to complete a socio-demographic profile and questionnaires measuring mood states, post-traumatic symptoms, centrality of the pregnancy and cancer event, quality of life, and prenatal attachment. Cancer survivors had significantly higher levels of PTSD symptoms, perceived pregnancy as more central to their identity and life story, perceived lower quality of life and had lower intensity of prenatal attachment compared with the control group. Centrality of the cancer event did not correlate with any psychological variables. Preliminary results suggest that a past cancer diagnosis can influence the mother’s psychological functioning and the development of the relationship with their child.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CRIdee, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Eleonora Mascheroni & Chiara Ionio

  2. Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy

    Flavia Faccio & Gabriella Pravettoni

  3. Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Flavia Faccio & Gabriella Pravettoni

  4. Department of Mental Health, ASST Bergamo Est, Seriate, Italy

    Lucia Bonassi, Giulia Ongaro & Elena Cattaneo

  5. Fertility and Procreation Unit, Gynecologic Oncology Division, European Institute of OncologyIRCCS, Milan, Italy

    Fedro Alessandro Peccatori

  6. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Foundation Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy

    Camilla Pisoni

  7. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, IRCCS Foundation Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy

    Chiara Cassani

  8. Oncology Division, ASST Bergamo Est, Seriate, Italy

    Giuseppe Nastasi

Authors
  1. Eleonora Mascheroni
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  2. Flavia Faccio
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  3. Lucia Bonassi
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  4. Chiara Ionio
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  5. Fedro Alessandro Peccatori
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  6. Camilla Pisoni
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  7. Chiara Cassani
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  8. Giulia Ongaro
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  9. Elena Cattaneo
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  11. Gabriella Pravettoni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eleonora Mascheroni.

Ethics declarations

All study procedures were approved by the Ethical Committees of ASST Bergamo Est (196/2016), of the IRRCS European Institute of Oncology (R595/17-IEO629), and of the IRRCS San Matteo of Pavia (20180028481). After having provided the parents-to-be with oral information about the study and once they had agreed to participate, they were asked to provide written informed consent.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Mascheroni, E., Faccio, F., Bonassi, L. et al. Exploring differences in psychological aspects during pregnancy between cancer survivors and women without a history of cancer. Support Care Cancer 28, 2255–2263 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-05048-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-05048-w

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