Mothers with Cancer: An Intersectional Mixed-Methods Study Investigating Role Demands and Perceived Coping Abilities

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Mothers with cancer feel shame and guilt when they struggle to balance their roles as parents and patients. There is a lack of research on how mothers with cancer cope with multiple role demands, and how their identities as women and persons experiencing a disability influence their coping strategies. This study investigates the roles that mothers with cancer assume and their perceived coping ability using an intersectional framework. The Role Coping as a Mother with Cancer (RCMC) model was created to demonstrate the multiple roles that mothers with cancer occupy, how they emotionally and practically cope with role conflict, and the identities that inform their experiences. This is a critical step in understanding the multifaceted nature of motherhood and how it is influenced by the demands of cancer treatment, providing an intersectional model to help inform further integrative research and clinical care. ABSTRACT: Mothers with cancer report guilt associated with failing to successfully balance their parental roles and cancer. This study utilized a cross-sectional mixed-methods design and intersectional framework to investigate the multiple roles that mothers with cancer assume and their perceived coping ability. Participants included mothers diagnosed with any type or stage of cancer, in treatment or ≤3 years post-treatment, and experiencing cancer-related disability with a dependent child (<18 years, living at home). Participants completed a questionnaire battery, semi-structured interview, and optional focus group. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and thematic inductive analyses are reported. The participants’ (N = 18) mean age was 45 years (SD = 5.50), and 67% were in active treatment. Their role participation (M = 42.74, ±6.21), role satisfaction (M = 43.32, ±5.61), and self-efficacy (M = 43.34, ±5.62) were lower than the general population score of 50. Greater role participation and higher role satisfaction were positively correlated (r = 0.74, p ≤ 0.001). A qualitative analysis revealed that the mothers retained most roles, and that their quality of life depended on their capacity to balance those roles through emotion-focused and problem-focused coping. We developed the intersectional Role Coping as a Mother with Cancer (RCMC) model, which has potential research and clinical utility.