Family Communication Status and Influencing Factors Among Advanced Cancer Patients: A Cross- Sectional Study

Objective To investigate the current status of family communication among advanced cancer patients and explore its influencing factors. Design A cross-sectional study. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Anhui Province, China. Using the General Information Questionnaire, the Cancer Communication Assessment Tool for Patients（CCAT-P）、the Cancer Communication Assessment Tool for Families (CCAT-F), the Family APGAR index, (APGAR),the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF) and the Social Isolation Assessment Questionnaire for Cancer Patients (SIAQ-CF), SPSS 27.0 was applied to analyze the data. Results In total, 400 participants completed the survey. Their levels of family communication were moderate or lower. their mean CCAT-P total score was 59.18 ± 20.12 among the advanced cancer patients and CCAT-F total score was 58.23±18.32 among the caregivers, respectively. The family communication level was closely related to six factors regression analysis revealed that Education level, Monthly income, APGAR, FoP-Q-SF, FoP-Q-SF/C, SIAQ-CF, CBS-CP were the primary influencing factors for family communication in advanced-stage cancer patients ( P < 0.05). Conclusion Families of advanced-stage cancer patients exhibit suboptimal communication levels characterized by poor communication. Clinicians should prioritize interventions for households demonstrating family dysfunction, psychological dysregulation related to fear of disease progression, elevated social isolation among patients, low educational attainment, and limited average monthly household income. Tailored clinical interventions are recommended to enhance positive family communication dynamics and thereby improve quality of life for these late-stage cancer patient families.