Informal caregivers of advanced-stage cancer patients: Every second is at risk for psychiatric morbidity

Rumpold, Tamara; Schur, Sophie; Amering, Michaela; Kirchheiner, Kathrin; Masel, Eva Katharina; Watzke, Herbert; Schrank, Beate

doi:10.1007/s00520-015-2987-z

Cited by 76 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The degree to which our findings accord with previous studies on factors associated with poor health status is mixed. Most surprisingly, our findings did not accord with otherwise consistent evidence for associations between poor health/well‐being and caring burden or lower social support . Number of weekly caring hours was not significantly related to poor MCS or PCS even in univariate analyses, suggesting that the predominance of people caring for less than 20 hours per week was not the main reason for a reduced difference between carers versus non‐carers in health status compared with other studies.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Consistent with previous international and Australian research, this population‐based study found cancer carers to have significantly poorer mean health status compared with non‐carers. However, differences were less pronounced than in most previous research.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Secondly, our study aimed to estimate period rather than point prevalence of caring by including people with experience of providing care or support any time in the last 5 years rather than just current carers. Finally, unlike most previous cancer studies, which have focused on caring in the context of poor prognosis, the current study did not focus on particular tumour types or stages. These differences mean that our sample is likely to have been the most inclusive of any cancer carer study we know of, as reflected by the relatively high prevalence of caring identified.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Health status in South Australians caring for people with cancer: A population‐based study

et al. 2019

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Objectives To compare physical and mental health status between cancer carers versus non‐carers in a population‐based sample and explore sociodemographic and caring characteristics associated with poor carer health status. Methods The South Australian Health Omnibus is a population‐based cross‐sectional survey. Carer status was self‐defined by participants as having cared for someone with cancer in the last 5 years. Health status was considered poor if it was 0.5 standard deviation lower than Australian norms on the Medical Outcomes Study 12‐Item Short‐Form (SF‐12) physical and mental component summary scores (PCS and MCS). Regression analyses compared mean PCS/MCS between carers versus non‐carers, controlling for sociodemographic variables, and explored associations between poor health status and caring and support among carers. Results The weighted sample included 2962 people, of whom 374 (12.6%) were cancer carers and 1993 (67.3%) non‐carers. Carers had significantly worse PCS/MCS, controlling for sociodemographic variables, but did not differ significantly regarding proportions with poor health status. Carer characteristics associated with poor PCS and MCS included socio‐economic indicators and involvement in medication management. Assisting with household tasks was protective. Conclusions This population‐based study followed those previous ones in finding cancer carers to have poorer mean health status than non‐carers. However, differences were less pronounced than previously reported, likely because of the sample being drawn from a general rather than cancer service population and including past as well as current carers, as well as all cancer types and stages. Future longitudinal research is needed to identify factors that predict recovery post caring.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Health status in South Australians caring for people with cancer: A population‐based study

et al. 2019

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“…Although research has consistently demonstrated that informal caregivers are at risk for emotional and physical health problems [8][9], those caring for individuals with cognitive disabilities (such as those associated with TBI) may be at particular risk for negative emotional outcomes including depression, grief, anxiety, and decreased quality of life (QOL) [10][11]. Compared with noncaregivers, informal caregivers also report more frequent health problems and somatic symptoms (e.g., fatigue, headache, and low back pain) and take more medications [12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived health, caregiver burden, and quality of life in women partners providing care to Veterans with traumatic brain injury

et al. 2016

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Abstract-Families of Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are often faced with providing long-term informal care to their loved one. However, little is known about how their perceived health and caregiving burden contribute to their quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe perceived health, somatic symptoms, caregiver burden, and perceived QOL and to identify the extent to which these variables are associated with QOL in female partners/ spouses of Veterans with TBI. Participants completed a written questionnaire including the general health subscale of the 12-Item Short Form Survey version 2, the Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Caregiver Reaction Assessment, and Quality of Life Index. Caregivers reported moderate levels of QOL, and over a quarter of the sample reported high levels of somatic symptoms, particularly fatigue and sleep disturbance. Age, perceived general health, somatic symptoms, the five subscales of caregiver burden (self-esteem, disrupted schedule, effect on finances, lack of family support, and effect on health) predicted QOL and explained 64% of its variance (adjusted r 2 = 0.64, F(8,31) = 9.59). However, only somatic symptoms and the caregiver burden subscales of self-esteem and effect on finances were significant predictors in the model. These findings have implications for development of family-centered interventions to enhance the QOL of informal caregivers of Veterans with TBI.

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“…Caregiving is well known to have detrimental effects on the physical and psychological well‐being of family caregivers . It has been shown that more than 50% of caregivers of advanced cancer patients are at risk of having at least 1 psychiatric disorder (ie, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and/or alcohol abuse/disorder), but so far, little is known about the long‐term course of psychiatric morbidity in this population. Clinical experience with psychiatric symptoms teaches that not every person affected requires immediate treatment, as many symptoms improve over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hope as determinant for psychiatric morbidity in family caregivers of advanced cancer patients

et al. 2016

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Informal caregivers of advanced-stage cancer patients: Every second is at risk for psychiatric morbidity

Abstract: This study confirms the high risk of informal caregivers of advanced cancer patients to develop psychiatric disorders and suggests a practically feasible approach to identify at risk caregivers to offer support.

Cited by 76 publications

References 36 publications

Health status in South Australians caring for people with cancer: A population‐based study

Health status in South Australians caring for people with cancer: A population‐based study

Perceived health, caregiver burden, and quality of life in women partners providing care to Veterans with traumatic brain injury

Hope as determinant for psychiatric morbidity in family caregivers of advanced cancer patients

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