Distress among inflammatory bowel disease patients at high risk for colorectal cancer: a preliminary investigation of the effects of family history of cancer, disease duration, and perceived social support.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are one of only three groups at high risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Yet, no research has examined psychological effects of their high-risk status. The present study offered an initial investigation of three potential predictors of patient distress: disease duration, family history of cancer, and perceived social support. Longer disease duration and stronger family history of cancer are associated with elevated CRC risk in this already high-risk population. Perceived support was conceptualized as a resource that could decrease vulnerability to distress or buffer adverse psychological effects of disease duration and family history. Men and women (n = 223) with IBD participating in a colon disease family registry completed measures for this cross-sectional study. Family history of CRC and non-colorectal cancers among first-degree relatives (FDRs) and more distant relatives (DRs) was examined separately. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that having greater perceived support predicted lower generalized distress (p<0.001). Having an FDR history of CRC predicted higher CRC-specific distress (p = 0.02). Having a DR history of CRC also predicted higher CRC-specific distress, but only among patients diagnosed more recently (p = 0.03). Clinical implications of these findings are discussed along with future research directions.