Psychological Resilience, Metacognitions, and Fear of Recurrence Among Cancer Survivors and Family Caregivers

Background: Cancer is a life crisis that can have devastating consequences not only on the affected individual but also on his/her caregivers. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of psychological resilience and metacognitions of cancer survivors and their family caregivers (FCs) on fear of recurrence (FoR). Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design while adhering to the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines. Data were collected from 112 cancer survivors and 112 FCs recruited from 5 oncology hospitals. Results: The cancer survivors and caregivers reported low levels of psychological resilience, which we found to be correlated with great fear of recurrence in cancer survivors and FCs. It was also in relation with metacognitions in cancer survivors and FCs. The findings showed that psychological resilience negatively predicted the fear of recurrence, whereas the metacognitions positively predicted the fear of recurrence in cancer survivors and FCs. The total effects of psychological resilience on the FoR in cancer survivors and FCs were 0.920 (confidence interval [CI], -2.059 to 0.072) and 0.061 (CI, -0.475 to 0.474), respectively. The total effects of metacognition on the FoR in cancer survivors and FCs were 1.164 (CI, 0.217-2.371) and 0.486 (CI, 0.016-1.058), respectively. Conclusions: The findings underline the direct and indirect mediating role of psychological resilience and metacognition of cancer survivors and FCs on FoR. Implication for Practice: The findings are particularly important to oncology nurses, who as 24-hour care providers are important sources of psychosocial care. Their awareness of factors influencing FoR is critical for achieving positive outcomes.