Objectives Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Patients with cutaneous cGVHD always changed much in appearance and many of them were in the bad health of psychology. The aim of this study was to explore the relations between family functioning and health state of patients with cutaneous cGVHD.

Methods A questionnaire survey was undertaken among patients with cutaneous cGVHD by the way of Family APGAR and COOP/WONGA. According to the scores gained from family APGAR index questionnaire, the patients were divided into two groups: family dysfunction group with scores between 0 and 6 and better family function group with scores between 7 and 10. The scores of each item gained from COOP/WONGA were further compared between the two groups and the correlations of the results were analysed.

Results 38.7 percent of the patients had good functioning families and 61.3 percent of them had defective functioning families. The differences between the two type families in the total healthy state, emotion, social communication, daily activity and pain had statistical significance (P<0.05). The family functioning had positive relation with the health state in patients with cutaneous cGVHD (r = 0.901, P<0.01). The adaptability, cooperation, growth, emotion and intimation in Family APGAR questionnaire survey and ten items in COOP/WONGA had positive relations (r = 0.711∼0.925, P<0.05, P<0.01).

Conclusions The relation between the family functioning and the health state of patients with cutaneous cGVHD is close. Medical workers should pay attention to the desirable effects of the good family functioning on these patients.