Longitudinal Predictors of Mother-reported Survivor Quality of Life
A hierarchical regression model examined baseline predictors of mother-report of survivor quality of life at 5-year follow-up. The first step examined mother’s age and the sociodemographic score. This model was significant, F (2,77) = 8.38, p < .001, and explained 18% of the variance in QOL. The sociodemographic score was the sole significant predictor (β = -0.39, p < .001). The second step added mother-report of survivor’s cancer-specific stress and mother’s general stress, which contributed an additional 38% of explained variance in QOL, ΔF (2,75)=32.41,p <.001. Both mother-report of survivor’s cancer-specific stress (β = -0.39, p < .001) and mother’s general stress (β = -0.46, p < .001) were significant predictors of QOL, but the sociodemographic score was no longer a significant predictor. Finally, mother–adolescent communication was added in the third step of the model and contributed an additional 3% of variance in QOL, ΔF (1,74) = 5.26, p = .03. This final model was significant, F (5,74) = 21.18, p< .001, and explained 59% of the total variance. With the addition of mother–adolescent communication, survivor’s stress (β = -0.37, p < .001), mother stress (β = -0.42, p < .001), and communication (β = 0.19,p = .03) were all significant predictors of quality of life (Table 3).