Aim

Anxiety and its correlates in parents of patients with breast cancer have rarely been studied. We explored anxiety among parents of postoperative patients with breast cancer and its relationship with parents' social support and care needs and patients' anxiety.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey using self-report questionnaires and medical records was conducted among patients with breast cancer after surgery and their parents at four designated cancer care hospitals between September 2015 and June 2016. Anxiety was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Parents provided information about social support and care needs. Multilevel analysis was performed on patient–parent paired data controlling for patient-level variation.

Results

Participants included 107 patients, 83 mothers, and 51 fathers. The mean HADS anxiety scores reported by mothers and fathers were 7.2 and 6.5, respectively, which were higher than patients' HADS anxiety scores. Fulfillment of important care needs was related to lower anxiety among mothers and fathers (estimate = −1.38, p = .01). Lower family support and higher patient anxiety were associated with higher anxiety in mothers, but not fathers.

Conclusions

Parents of patients with breast cancer had high anxiety. Communication, providing cancer-related information, and fulfilling care needs can alleviate anxiety in parents of patients with breast cancer after surgery. Furthermore, increasing family support and decreasing patients' anxiety are essential to alleviating mothers' anxiety.