Psychosocial adjustment in school-age girls with a family history of breast cancer

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Understanding how young girls respond to growing up with breast cancer family histories is critical given expansion of genetic testing and breast cancer messaging. We examined the impact of breast cancer family history on psychosocial adjustment and health behaviors among.800 girls in the multicenter LEGACY Girls Study. METHODS: Girls aged 6 to 13 years with a family history of breast cancer or familial BRCA1/2 mutation (BCFH+), peers without a family history (BCFH-), and their biological mothers completed assessments of psychosocial adjustment (maternal report for 6-to 13-year-olds, self-report for 10-to 13-year-olds), breast cancer-specific distress, perceived risk of breast cancer, and health behaviors (10-to 13-year-olds). RESULTS: BCFH+ girls had better general psychosocial adjustment than BCFH- peers by maternal report. Psychosocial adjustment and health behaviors did not differ significantly by self-report among 10-to 13-year-old girls. BCFH+ girls reported higher breast cancer-specific distress (P =.001) and were more likely to report themselves at increased breast cancer risk than BCFH- peers (38.4% vs 13.7%, P