Five-year longitudinal changes in social, economic, and psychosocial wellbeing among young women with breast cancer in Mexico
Academic Article in Scopus
Purpose: Young women with breast cancer (YWBC) face long-term challenges during career building, partnership formation, and childrearing. Most survivorship research has been conducted in high-income countries, with limited longitudinal evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to characterize 5-year longitudinal changes across sociodemographic and financial, relational, fertility, family and caregiving, psychosocial, and health-related domains among YWBC in Mexico. Methods: We analyzed 526 participants in the Joven and Fuerte prospective cohort (stage I¿III breast cancer, age ¿ 40 years) in Mexico. Surveys were completed at baseline, 6 months, as well as 1, 2¿3, and 4¿5 years post-diagnosis. GEE assessed changes in binary and multinomial outcomes. Global chi-squared or Fisher¿s exact tests were used descriptively. Results: Participants experienced sustained occupational disruption and economic strain; 75.8% reported a change in occupation and nearly 50% decreased income at 4¿5 years. Partnership status was stable; 67.9% remained with the same partner, yet unmet partner support needs persisted. Desire for future children declined from 38.5 to 20.2% at 4¿5 years. New comorbidities increased, particularly psychological disorders. While the need for psychological support declined from 66.6 to 42.4%, interest in support groups remained substantial. Health behaviors showed partial recovery; participants meeting recommended exercise levels (¿ 150 min/week) increased from 25.9 to 32.7%. Conclusions: Mexican YWBC experiences dynamic survivorship trajectories characterized by partial recovery alongside persistent financial, caregiving, and supportive care needs. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Survivorship care in LMICs should integrate financial and occupational support, family-centered psychosocial services, and long-term health monitoring for young survivors.
