Parenting concerns among young and middle-aged lymphoma patients with minor children: application of latent profile analysis and network analysis

Parenting concerns represent an underrecognized psychosocial challenge among lymphoma patients with minor children. However, the heterogeneity of parenting concerns and the underlying psychosocial patterns remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of parenting concerns, examine psychosocial factors associated with profile membership, and characterize profile-specific psychosocial network structures among lymphoma patients with minor children. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 455 lymphoma patients with minor children. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to identify distinct patterns of parenting concerns. The Robust Three-Step (R3STEP) approach was used to examine psychosocial factors associated with latent profile membership. Subgroup-specific network analysis was conducted to characterize the structure of psychosocial associations and identify central nodes within each profile. Network accuracy and stability were evaluated using bootstrap procedures. Three latent profiles of parenting concerns were identified: a low parenting concerns profile ( n = 244, 53.6%), a moderate parenting concerns profile ( n = 145, 31.9%), and a high parenting concerns profile ( n = 66, 14.5%). The three-profile model demonstrated good classification accuracy (entropy = 0.952). Compared with the high parenting concerns profile, greater perceived social support, higher mindfulness, more adaptive illness perceptions, and lower negative affect were associated with membership in lower parenting concerns profiles, whereas higher conflict was associated with higher parenting concerns. Network analysis revealed profile-specific patterns of psychosocial associations. Social support showed relatively high centrality across profiles. Lymphoma patients with minor children exhibit substantial heterogeneity in parenting concerns, with distinct psychosocial characteristics and network configurations across latent profiles. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating multidimensional psychosocial assessment into supportive care and may contribute to the development of more individualized approaches for addressing parenting concerns among lymphoma patients. Clinical trial number Not applicable