The Effects of Family Support, Anxiety, and Post-Treatment Nausea on the Development of Anticipatory Nausea: A Latent Growth Model

Although the degree of a patient's anxiety and symptoms of post-treatment nausea have been suggested as predictors of anticipatory nausea, little attention has been given to the impact of family support on the development of anticipatory nausea. This study examines the role of family support in the development of the severity of anticipatory nausea, both directly and mediated through a patient's anxiety. Five hundred thirty-nine patients with breast cancer were studied. The results from latent growth modeling showed that family support was associated with the severity of anticipatory nausea mediated by the levels of a patient's anxiety and post-treatment nausea severity. In addition, family support had a direct impact on the severity level of anticipatory nausea. The findings suggest that helping patients and their families communicate in more satisfactory and supportive ways and maintain an organized family system might be beneficial in reducing the symptoms of chemotherapy-related nausea.