Stress and Grief Among Family Caregivers of Older Adults With Cancer: A Multicultural Comparison From Hawai‘i

Abstract

In this study the authors investigated stress, anticipatory mourning, and cultural practices among family caregivers from independent and interdependent cultural groups. Focus groups were used to collect data from 56 caregivers providing care to family members with terminal cancer, representing four cultural groups in Hawai'i: Chinese, European Americans, Japanese, and Native Hawaiians. Participants from all four cultural groups identified similar stressors and agreed that support groups helped them cope with the stresses and sadness they were experiencing and differed in culturally based motivations for caregiving, perceived roles, and processing of grief. The findings of this study indicated a need for additional conceptual models of the caregiving trajectory and more culturally sensitive strategies, particularly indirect methods, for working with diverse populations of caregivers.

A metasynthesis study of family caregivers’ transition experiences caring for community-dwelling persons with advanced cancer at the end of life

“…24,49,51,63,67,77,88,89 Recognizing the changes that occurred resulted at times in a painful process of facing loss 67,81,84,87,94 and loss of what was to be. 25,36,49,59,65,68,75,78,84,88,89 Facing loss heightened their feeling of uncertainty and loss of hope. 25,40,51,52,62,63,81,102 With acknowledging their situation, caregivers understood that their “old normal” could no longer be maintained.…”

“…Family caregivers’ beliefs and values about caregiving were often linked to cultural beliefs. 36,42,45,48,50,98 Different cultural groups expressed this in different ways, but for some groups, it was a privilege to care for someone at the end of life, 42,45,48 and for others, it was an expectation. 36,98 Only a few studies specifically focused on describing the influence of cultural beliefs on caregiving.…”

Family Anticipatory Grief: An Integrative Literature Review

“…16,18,27,28,30,38 Therefore, caregivers refer to this period as a time of waiting, during which they only survive, without space or interest for their previous activities or social contacts, with the feeling that the world has become monotonous and restricted, and the future was postponed indefinitely. 16,18,28,30,38,42 Relational Losses But before confronting the real loss of the patient, the family realizes the relational losses resulting from physical and emotional degradation. The feeling of absence starts at the moment that family is forced to play the role of the patient.…”

Diseases Associated to Anticipatory Grief: A Systematic Review

“…As doenças mais prevalentes relacionadas ao luto antecipatório encontradas nos estudos foram: em primeiro, o câncer (Al-Gamal & Long, 2010;Al-Gamal, Long & Livesley, 2009;Anngela-Cole & Busch, 2011;Burton, Haley, Small, Finley, Dillinger & Schonwetter, 2008;Cheng, Lo, Chan, Kwan & Woo, 2010;Grassi, 2007;Gross et al, 2012;Hottensen, 2010;Jenholt Nolbris, Enska & Hellstrom, 2014;Johansson & Grimby, 2012;Johansson, Sundh, Wijk & Grimby, 2013;Liu & Lai, 2006;Mystakidou et al, 2005;Olson, 2014;Peteet, Maypal & Rokni, 2010;Pusa, Persson & Sundin, 2012;Santos & Cardoso, 2013;Sutherland, 2009); em segundo, as disfunções cognitivas (Burton et al, 2008;Chan, Livingston, Jones & Sampson, 2013;Fowler, Hansen, Barnato & Garand, 2013;Frank, 2008;Garand et al, 2012;Holley & Mast, 2009;Johansson, Sundh, Wijk & Grimby, 2013); em terceiro, a paralisia cerebral (Al-Gamal, 2013;Al-Gamal & Long, 2014) e o quadro de prematuridade (Valizadeh, Zamanzadeh & Rahim, 2013;Zamanzadeh, Valizadeh & Rahim, 2013); por fim, em quarto, um artigo sobre anomalia congênita do aparelho cardíaco (Bennett, Dutcher & Snyders, 2011) e um sobre crise psicogênica não-epilética associada ao luto antecipatório (Kaufman, 2009).…”