# Addressing Unmet Care Needs in Breast Cancer Survivors and Caregivers: The Role of Family Resilience

> **NIH AT F31** · HENRY FORD HEALTH + MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2026 · $45,488

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
More than 80% of breast cancer survivors and nearly all family caregivers experience unmet supportive care
needs during cancer treatment and throughout survivorship. These unmet supportive care needs are key
factors that contribute to poor quality of life for cancer survivors and their caregivers. Emotional, informational,
and relational needs are among the most reported unmet needs by cancer survivors and their caregivers, and
result from gaps in cancer care services. Interventions to support the unmet needs of cancer survivors have
provided no evidence of an underlying mechanism for reducing unmet needs for the survivors, and many
caregiver interventions have yielded small effects. Given the known interdependence between cancer
survivors and family caregivers’ well-being and the promising effects of mindful resilience-based interventions
in other populations such as transplant patients, a systems-level resilience-based approach may be key in
addressing these unmet needs. Family resilience, or the ability of family to rebound and grow from adversity, is
associated with greater quality of life in cancer survivors and their caregivers. While the relationship between
family resilience and unmet needs is unknown, there is evidence that more individual or intrapersonal
resilience is associated with fewer unmet supportive care needs. Furthermore, as unmet needs change over
the course of the illness trajectory and throughout survivorship, identifying a mechanism that adapts over time
and leverages the strengths of the family to cope and manage needs is crucial. This observational cross-
sectional study aims to determine the relationship between unmet supportive care needs, family resilience, and
quality of life in breast cancer dyads (survivors and caregivers) during two phases of cancer care (active
treatment and reentry phase). Using latent variable structural equation modeling, specifically the Actor-Partner
Interdependence Model, we will exami

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11313494
- **Project number:** 1F31AT013682-01
- **Recipient organization:** HENRY FORD HEALTH + MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Autumn  Ashley
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AT
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $45,488
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2026-05-01T00:00:00 → 2028-04-30T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11313494

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11313494, Addressing Unmet Care Needs in Breast Cancer Survivors and Caregivers: The Role of Family Resilience (1F31AT013682-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11313494. Licensed CC0.

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