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Material, behavioral, and psychological financial hardship among survivors of childhood cancer in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
Author(s) -
Fair Douglas,
Park Elyse R.,
Nipp Ryan D.,
Rabin Julia,
Hyland Kelly,
Kuhlthau Karen,
Perez Giselle K.,
Nathan Paul C.,
Armstrong Gregory T.,
Oeffinger Kevin C.,
Robison Leslie L.,
Leisenring Wendy,
Kirchhoff Anne C.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.33613
Subject(s) - childhood cancer , medicine , logistic regression , odds ratio , coping (psychology) , confidence interval , finance , cancer , clinical psychology , gerontology , demography , psychiatry , sociology , economics
Background Medical financial burden includes material, behavioral, and psychological hardship and has been underinvestigated among adult survivors of childhood cancer. Methods A survey from 698 survivors and 210 siblings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study was analyzed. The intensity of financial hardship was estimated across 3 domains: 1) material, including conditions that arise from medical expenses; 2) behavioral, including coping behaviors to manage medical expenses; and 3) psychological hardship resulting from worries about medical expenses and insurance, as measured by the number of instances of each type of financial hardship (0, 1‐2, and ≥3 instances). Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to examine the clinical and sociodemographic predictors of experiencing financial hardship (0‐2 vs ≥3 instances). Results The intensity of financial hardship did not significantly differ between survivors and siblings. Survivors reported more instances of material hardship than siblings (1‐2 instances: 27.2% of survivors vs 22.6% of siblings; ≥3 instances: 15.9% of survivors vs 11.4% siblings; overall P = .03). In multivariable regressions, insurance was protective against all domains of financial hardship (behavioral odds ratio [OR], 0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06‐0.22; material OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.19‐0.71; psychological OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.05‐0.21). Survivors who were older at diagnosis, female, and with chronic health conditions generally had higher levels of hardship. Brain radiation and alkylating agents were associated with higher levels of hardship. Conclusions Material, behavioral, and psychological financial burden among survivors of childhood cancer is common.