Caregivers of Individuals with Cancer in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Caregivers of individuals with cancer in the COVID-19 pandemic are faced with the demands of cancer and the health needs produced by it, along with their own health and self-care needs, and the uncertainties of expectations and risks. A qualitative analytical phenomenological study with caregivers of individuals with cancer registered at the state referral hospital supplying medications, who answered the sociodemographic assessment questionnaires and semi-structured questions about their feelings and perceptions in the COVID-19 pandemic. Bardin’s content analysis was used, with methodological quality assessed using SRQR Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research and the MAXQDA software. Most of the caregivers are women, married, Catholic, of low income and education, aged between 30 and 60 years, optimistic, comply with health guidelines regarding social distancing, use of masks, and routine hand hygiene, do not practice regular physical activities, mention concern for their own physical and financial survival, and that of their family. The main need identified in the affective sphere was to reframe contact with family members, seeking to strengthen the bonds of affection. The feeling of emotional vulnerability shows the importance of building effective public policies for social support consistent with the improvement of health care for this population.

“Did I get into the twilight zone somehow?”: sexual and gender minority cancer caregiver experiences during COVID

“…Results presented here, a subset of a broader mixed-methods study conducted within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, document adverse effects of pandemic-related policies, and realities of an unpaid caregiving workforce. Themes drawn from caregiver interviews corroborate findings from previous studies in which caregivers reported heightened caregiving stresses due to their inabilities to perform complex supportive caretaking roles within the context of care visits [ 21 ], engage in shared cancer care decision-making, and seek help for their own healthcare utilization due to concerns of contracting COVID-19 while providing care for someone who was immunocompromised due to cancer [ 6 , 7 , 22 – 24 ].…”

The evolving scenario of cancer care provision across the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

“…Restoring physical and social support to their assisted were seen to be the main needs. Lack in structural social policies to support patients and their families on an emotional level has probably revealed a vulnerability of the healthcare systems towards this aspect [ 26 ].…”