Psychological functioning of caregivers for head and neck cancer patients

Abstract

SUMMARY Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) often require assistance from family caregivers during the treatment and post-treatment period. This review article sought to summarize current findings regarding the psychological health of HNSCC caregivers, including factors that may be associated with poorer psychological health. Online databases (PUBMED, MEDLINE and PSYCINFO) were searched for papers published in English through September 2010 reporting on the psychological health of caregivers of HNSCC patients. Eleven papers were identified. Caregivers experience poorer psychological health, including higher levels of anxious symptoms, compared to patients and to the general population. Fear of patient cancer recurrence is evident among caregivers and is associated with poorer psychological health outcomes. The 6-month interval following diagnosis is a significant time of stress for caregivers. Greater perceived social support may yield positive benefits for the psychological health of caregivers. To date, there have been relatively few reports on the psychological health of caregivers of HNSCC patients. Well designed, prospective, longitudinal studies are needed to enhance our understanding of how caregiver psychological health may vary over the cancer trajectory and to identify strategies for improving caregiver outcomes.

How relatives of patients with head and neck cancer experience pain, disease progression and treatment: A qualitative interview study

“…In this study and in previous studies (Hodges et al, 2005;Longacre et al, 2012;Ross et al, 2010;Verdonck-de Leeuw et al, 2007;Zwahlen et al, 2008), psychological distresses such as anxiety, fear, and disrupted daily life have been shown to affect the patients and the relatives negatively during the cancer disease progression. Relatives and patients of this study were shocked and disappointed in how the cancer diagnosis was delivered.…”

“…This role was challenging and could involve an overwhelming situation that could make it difficult for relatives to organize and maintain their social, emotional, and working lives. When a family member suffers from a life-threatening illness, it is common that the closest patients ignore their own health (Longacre et al, 2012;Ziegert et al, 2006). In our study, health threats in the form of sleeping difficulties and impaired eating habits in relatives were found.…”

“…A recent review (Longacre et al, 2012) did address several important aspects on care givers´ to HNC patients situation but did not include care givers´ experiences of the HNC patients´ pain. This is also an issue which to our knowledge is sparsely studied and important to elucidate.…”

Impact of Pain and Evaluation of Education and Self-Care in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

“…Relatives described a gloomy situation, referring to psychological stress, lack of transparency and participation in health care and lack of personal support and care from care providers. Just as among the relatives in our study, other studies have also reported mental health issues among relatives of patients with HNC [78,167]. Furthermore, relatives perceived that the patients with HNC had severe physical pain, which is consistent with prior studies in which relatives often felt that the pain was worse than was self-reported by patients [168,169].…”

“…Patients with HNC require extensive care and support and it can be difficult for relatives to fully meet this need [77]. An overview article of eleven observational studies showed that relatives often experience anxiety and depression when a patient (family member) suffers from HNC [78]. In addition, it has been reported that relatives may have to deal with an increased burden including lack of support from the family, financial problems and worsened QoL when a family member undergoes RT [79] and suffers from pain [80].…”