Effects of self-disclosure and resilience on reproductive concern in patients of childbearing age with breast cancer: a cross-sectional survey study

OBJECTIVES: To assess reproductive concerns in patients of childbearing age with breast cancer and examine the relationship between self-disclosure, resilience and reproductive concerns. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Five tertiary first-class general hospitals in Sichuan Province, Southwest China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 319 patients with breast cancer of reproductive age who were hospitalised in the breast oncology department participated in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were the relationship between resilience, self-disclosure and reproductive concerns, and mediating effect analyses. Secondary outcomes included the status of reproductive concerns. RESULTS: The model accounted for 39.1% of the variance in reproductive concerns. Self-disclosure had a direct negative effect on reproductive concerns (β= −0.371, p=0.001). Resilience had a direct negative effect on reproductive concerns (β= −0.349, p=0.001) and a direct positive effect on self-disclosure (β=0.507, p=0.001). Furthermore, self-disclosure partially mediated the relation between resilience and reproductive concerns (β= −0.177; SE=0.041; 95% CI −0.261 to –0.104; p<0.050), with a bootstrap of 10 000 samples. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that self-disclosure and resilience may ease reproductive concern. Therefore, self-disclosure education and resilience-oriented interventions should be provided to patients of childbearing age with breast cancer, to reduce reproductive concerns.