Burden of Care and Perceived Psycho-Social Outcomes among Family Caregivers of Patients Living with Cancer

Abstract

Objective: Caring for patients living with cancer requires the support of family caregivers. Literature reports experiences of diverse burdens and health effects among caregivers. This study examined the burden, physical, psycho-social, and financial outcomes of caregiving among caregivers of patients living with cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, between January and March 2019. A convenient sample of 201 caregivers who were direct family relatives were selected to complete a validated Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) Questionnaire (r = 0.994) and perceived outcomes of caregiving questionnaire. The burden scale score ranged from 0 to 20 (no burden) to 61–88 (severe burden). Other outcomes of caregiving were measured on a Likert scale 0–4 (where 2.00 is the threshold score of effect of caregiving experienced), to determine the strength of the effect of caregiving on each variable of interest. The factors that contributed to the health outcomes were also identified. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.0 was used for data analysis. Results: The mean age was 37.68 ± 14.29 years and majority (60.4%) were female. The mean duration of caregiving was 2.34 ± 1.14. Caregivers (44.5%) reported a mild level of the burden while 4.4% reported severe burden. The mean burden score was 28.30 ± 15.78. Findings also indicate that caregiving affected the physical health (mean = 2.58 ≥ 2.00) and social well-being (mean = 2.42 ≥ 2.00) of the caregivers. The impact on psychological health was less than the threshold value (mean = 1.88 ≤ 2.00), suggesting less impact. Some factors associated with physical effects include poor eating (mean = 2.80) and lack of sleep (mean = 2.92). However, the psychological outcomes were associated with loss of hope (mean = 1.53) and feelings of frustration (mean = 1.65). Conclusions: Reported burden of care was mild; although negative health outcomes were noted. Health-care professionals can ameliorate such effects through a regular systemic assessment with standardized instruments, for early identification and intervention.

Cancer caregivers unmet needs and emotional states across cancer treatment phases

“…Education on achieving a work-life-caregiving balance, could help FCCs learn to balance their time, manage their roles, and attend to their self-care [ 43 ]. Next, clinicians could also informally assess how the caregiver is coping during patient consultations, so that their needs are recognised and addressed [ 44 ]. Studies however have shown that although interventions and social support already exist, and FCC express interest in utilizing these many actually do not avail themselves of the services [ 45 ].…”

Caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety among family caregivers of patients with cancer: An investigation of patient and caregiver factors

“…Due to the increasing incidence of new cancer cases in recent years, the number of people undertaking cancer caregiver roles has been on the rise dramatically (Onyeneho and Ilesanmi, 2021 ). A remarkable proportion of caregivers are the family members of patients with cancer, who play a noteworthy role in assisting their patients to confront the harsh reality of cancer diagnosis and equip them with both practical and emotional support (Onyeneho and Ilesanmi, 2021 ). Following the diagnosis of cancer and initiating the treatment process, the patient's family members feel responsible for taking care of their patient.…”

Caregiver burden among family caregivers of incurable cancer patients in two eastern Mediterranean countries

“…Using the 10 outcome events per predictor variable (EPV) rule and considering a 70% prevalence of CB using the ZBI-22 cutoff score of 21 [ 20 – 24 ], at least 214 participants were needed for logistic regression analysis including 15 predictor variables. Anticipating a 10% exclusion rate, the sample size was further increased to 236 participants.…”