Support providers of sexual minority women with breast cancer: who they are and how they impact the breast cancer experience

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with adjustment to breast cancer among sexual minority women with breast cancer and their support person.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, sexual minority women with breast cancer and their support provider were asked to self-report social support, distress, and coping, using standardized measures.

Results: Twenty-three (77%) women had a support provider participating in the study. Disclosure of sexual orientation, less helpless-hopeless coping, and support provider perception of high fighting spirit were related to lower patient distress. Lower support provider distress was related to more patient disclosure of sexual orientation, a larger social network, and an underestimation of fatalistic patient coping. An overestimation of patients' anxious preoccupation coping was linked to higher support provider distress.

Conclusions: Providing opportunities to sexual minority patients and their support providers to focus on issues such as disclosure of sexual orientation and coping may lower patient and support provider distress.