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PurposeA growing number of studies have explored the psychosocial burden experienced by cancer caregivers, but less attention has been given to the psychophysiological impact of caregiving and the impact of caregivers’ coping strategies on this association. This paper reviews existing research on the processes underlying distress experienced by cancer caregivers, with a specific focus on the role of coping strategies on psychophysiological correlates of burden.MethodsA broad literature search was conducted in health-related databases namely MEDLINE, Science Citations Index Expanded, Scopus, and PsycINFO, using relevant search terms. All types of studies published in English were considered for inclusion.ResultsWe found that cancer caregiving was related to increased blood pressure, dysregulation of autonomic nervous system, hypothalamic–pituitary–axis dysregulation, immune changes, and poor health-related behaviors. We also found that problem-focused coping was associated with decreased caregiver burden, decreased depression, and better adjustment, while emotion-focused coping was related to higher levels of posttraumatic growth and psychological distress. The way coping impacts psychophysiological correlates of burden, however, remains unexplored.ConclusionA better understanding of the psychophysiological elements of caregiver burden is needed. We propose a model that attends specifically to factors that may impact psychophysiological correlates of burden among cancer caregivers. Based on the proposed model, psychosocial interventions that specifically target caregivers’ coping and emotion regulation skills, family functioning, and self-care are endemic to the preservation of the health and well-being of this vulnerable population.

This study examined relationships among demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables in adult children of cancer patients. Two hundred and fourteen participants completed measures of posttraumatic growth (PTG), distress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, social support, and family functioning. Significant gender differences in all PTG dimensions were found, as well as associations among PTG, gender, parental dependency, distress, PTSD, and family functioning. Social support was not a mediator in the relationship between gender and PTG. Gender, education, disease duration, dependency, distress, and family flexibility predicted PTG. Finally, PTG had a moderating effect in the relationship between distress and PTSD/social support. These results may guide psychosocial interventions in this population.

Results underscore the importance of perceived parental dependency in offspring's caregivers. Findings support the multidimensional issues associated to burden in this specific population, stressing satisfaction with social support as an important mediator between distress/PTSD and burden. Implications for further research as well as limitations of the present study are discussed. Psychosocial interventions should focus on caregivers' social resources to facilitate psychological well-being.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and relate posttraumatic growth with psychological morbidity. This is a cross-sectional study with a sample of 214 adult children of cancer patients. Additionally, a comparison group was recruited with 78 participants without a chronically ill parent. Measures of distress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and posttraumatic growth were collected. The original five-factor structure of the PTGI was maintained, with satisfactory internal consistency. The reorganization of the items in five factors was similar to the solution found in the original PTGI study, except for four items. Positive correlations between posttraumatic growth and PTSD symptoms/distress were significant. Women showed significantly higher posttraumatic growth. Adult children with parental cancer, and with probable PTSD, showed higher scores on the PTGI. Regression analysis revealed that PTSD symptoms were associated with higher posttraumatic growth, after controlling for demographic and clinical variables. Analysis with the comparison group showed that differences in posttraumatic growth were observed as a function of a shattered experience. This study confirmed the multidimensionality of the posttraumatic growth construct, underscoring the importance of considering the subjective nature of the shattered event, and the experience of emotional distress with parental cancer.