A recent study compared psychosocial adjustment and risk perception among 11 to 19 year old daughters of women with breast cancer, comparing those with a BRCA mutation versus those without.1 The overall findings from the study were reassuring, suggesting that adolescent girls from BRCA-positive families had higher self-esteem and similar psychosocial adjustment compared to their peers without a family history of breast cancer. On the other hand, not surprisingly, girls from BRCA-positive families experienced more distress related to breast cancer and being susceptible to the disease compared to girls without a family history of breast cancer. Overall, study findings suggest there remains a need to better understand how being from a BRCA-positive family may impact adolescent girls, in order to develop strategies which address any psychosocial concerns that may be demonstrated.
1Bradbury AR, et ak. Psychosocial Adjustment and Perceived Risk Among Adolescent Girls From Families With BRCA1/2 or Breast Cancer History. J Clin Oncol. 2016 Oct 1;34(28):3409-16. PubMed PMID: 27551110.