CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- We know parenting is hard, but when you're diagnosed with advanced cancer it can vastly impact your emotional well being. That's what a study by the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center found. But it's what we do with that research that some doctors say is truly important.

Spectrum News anchor Caroline Blair sat down with Dr. Eliza M. Park, an Assistant Professor for the School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Department of Medicine. She and her colleagues surveyed women with advanced cancer, or stage IV solid tumor cancer, cancer that had metastasized or spread to other parts of the body, and that had at least one child under 18. What what they found was estounding. They say those with metastatic cancer had, on average, higher depression and anxiety scores than the general United States population. They also found their emotional well-being scores were lower than adult with cancer.

Researchers say they found that the mother’s emotional well-being was greatly linked to whether or not they had communicated with their kid about her illness and concerns about how it will financially impact them. Park and other researchers found that parenting concerns made up around 39 percent the difference in quality of life scores. This is almost the same impact on their quality of life scor, as the degree to which their illness is impacting their ability to perform every day tasks.

Based on their findings, Park and her colleagues now plan to investigate how to address some of these concerns with their patients who have children, and figure out a better way to support parents going through this fight. They also want to help better support their children during this difficult time.