Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39932595›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025

Psychological burden, quality of life, problems, and parental concerns of single mothers with cancer: a cross-sectional comparison.

Steffen Holsteg, Maike K Klett, Anna-Maria Kisić, Rebecca Horbach-Bremen, Manuela Brüne, Marc Dohmen, Barbara Drueke, Nicole Ernstmann, Franziska Geiser, Lina Heier and 6 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readComparative StudyControlled Clinical TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04186923 (Familien-SCOUT), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04186923 nacompletednot on this map

Familien-SCOUT: Comprehensive Support for Families With a Parent Suffering From Cancer

TypeinterventionalSponsorRWTH Aachen UniversityRan2019 to 2022Enrolled472ConditionsFamilies With Minor Children and One Parent Suffering From CancerArmsF-SPOKE
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Steffen Holsteg *Clinical Institute of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-9409-4229
Maike K Klett *Clinical Institute of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. Maikekim.klett@med.uni-duesseldorf.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-0013-5098
Anna-Maria KisićClinical Institute of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Rebecca Horbach-BremenCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Manuela BrüneInstitute for Health Services Research and Health Economics, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Marc DohmenCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Barbara DruekeCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Nicole ErnstmannCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Franziska GeiserCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Lina HeierCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Christian HeuserCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Andrea IcksCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Jens PanseCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Andrea Petermann-MeyerCenter for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany.
Anja ViehmannInstitute for Health Services Research and Health Economics, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
André KargerClinical Institute of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4819-0144

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSingle motherhood is associated with increased psychosocial risks, affecting both mothers and their minor children. However, little is known about the specific psychosocial impact of maternal cancer in single mothers (SMs). This study compared psychological burden, quality of life, specific problems, and parental concerns between SMs and partnered mothers (PMs) affected by cancer and caring for minor children.

methodsCross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a multicenter, non-randomized, controlled trial in Germany (Family-SCOUT). SMs and PMs affected by cancer were assessed for psychological burden (anxiety, depression, distress), quality of life, practical, family, emotional, spiritual/religious, and physical problems and parental concerns.

resultsA total of 54 SMs and 245 PMs were included. SMs reported more practical problems (p = 0.008, d = 0.44) and parental concerns than PMs (p = 0.011, d = 0.40). After controlling for demographic and clinical group differences, practical problems (p = 0.009, OR = 1.53) and parental concerns (p = 0.015, OR = 1.73) remained significantly associated with single motherhood. SMs and PMs did not differ in anxiety, depression, distress or quality of life. Overall, a large proportion of mothers reported clinically relevant elevated levels of anxiety (71.9%), depression (46.8%) and heightened distress (82.3%).

conclusionIn this sample, the psychological burden of mothers with cancer who care for minor children did not differ based on whether they were parenting alone or together with a co-parent. However, SMs reported more practical problems and parental concerns than PMs, emphasizing the need for targeted support in practical problem-solving and child care for SMs. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04186923, 5. December 2019.

Indexed as

MothersNeoplasmsParentsQuality of LifeSingle ParentStress, PsychologicalAdultAnxietyChildCost of IllnessCross-Sectional StudiesDepressionFemaleGermanyHumansMaleDistressMinor childrenParental cancerParent experiencePsycho-onocologySingle mothers

Identifiers

PMID39932595
PMCPMC11814052

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Registered trials

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