Mental health disparities between hispanic and non-hispanic parents of childhood cancer survivors

Background Parents of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) experience considerable distress related to their child's cancer. However, little is known about cultural variation in this experience. We examine parental distress, specifically symptoms of post‐traumatic stress (PTSS) and depression, comparing Hispanic and non‐Hispanic parents of CCS. Procedure Seventy‐nine Hispanic and 60 non‐Hispanic parents of CCS (currently aged 14–25, off treatment ≥2 years) completed questionnaires assessing demographics, depression, PTSS, perceived stress, and child's health status/quality of life (QOL). t‐Tests and chi‐square statistics were used to compare differences in demographic characteristics between Hispanic and non‐Hispanic parents and multivariable regression was used to determine independent risk factors associated with parental PTSS and depression. Results Hispanic parents were significantly younger, had less education, lower incomes and reported significantly more PTSS and depressive symptoms than non‐Hispanic parents (all P‐values