Frequency and correlates of symptoms of anxiety and depression among young caregivers of cancer patients: a pilot study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo determine the frequency of symptoms of anxiety and depression among the young caregivers of family members with cancer and their correlation with role of gender, age and socio-economic status.ResultsA total of 87.8% of caregivers were between 11 and 16 years of age, with 94.6% reported having support from another caregiver. At least 95% of caregivers reported symptoms of anxiety with a higher predisposition among females. Around 73% of caregivers had low monthly incomes followed by (22.9%) middle and (4.1%) high monthly incomes. Care givers belonging to low income groups were more likely to report anxiety and depressive symptoms (70%). Young adults 17–18 years of age reported fewer symptoms of anxiety (10.9%) than their younger counterparts. Reported symptoms of anxiety and depression decreased when the number of care givers increased—2 (67.5%), 3 (16.2%), 4 (5.4%). Increased hospital stay was associated with increased frequency of symptoms, but not beyond 5 weeks.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-3740-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mental health of young informal carers: a systematic review

“…However, this evidence is not always consistent. While some authors report a high proportion of emotional problems [5], depression and anxiety in young carers [18]; others describe young carers reporting positive rather than negative mental health effects from their caregiving, with only a small subset displaying clinical levels of depression [20]. This lack of clarity in evidence hampers efforts to support and address the mental health needs of young people who provide informal care.…”

The Relationship Between Health Anxiety Levels And Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Of Family Caregivers Of Cancer Patients Receiving Outpatient Chemotherapy

“…As increase in the score obtained from the scale indicates that healthy lifestyle behaviors are performed better. According to the reliability study of the scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was determined as 0.91 (23,24). In our study, the Cronbach's alpha value was found to be 0.93.…”