Cancer caregiving is associated with burden and a poor psychological state. However, there is no previous information about the predictive utility of specific burden domains on anxiety and depression in the first six months after a partner’s cancer diagnosis. In a longitudinal study, 67 caregivers completed the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at T1 (45–60 days after diagnosis) and T2 (180–200 days after diagnosis). Most of the caregivers were female (65.7%, mean age = 51.63, SD = 13.25), while patients were mostly male (56.7%). The TRIPOD checklist was applied. ZBI scores were moderate and HADS anxiety reached significant values. There were no differences in ZBI and HADS between T1 and T2. The relationship between burden, anxiety, and depression were more consistent at T2, while emotional burden at T1 were related and predicted anxiety and depression at T2. Some burden domains were related and predicted anxiety in caregivers in the first six months after partner cancer diagnosis. This information could be useful to prevent the onset of these symptoms in the first six months after diagnosis.

Aims and Objectives To establish the predictive utility of specific social support domains for emotional well‐being in cancer caregivers, six months after their partner's cancer diagnosis. Background In cancer caregivers, social support has been consistently related to anxiety and depression. There is little information, however, about the predictive utility of specific social support domains for psychological well‐being in the first six months after a partner's cancer diagnosis. Design Longitudinal research study. Methods Sixty‐seven caregivers of recently diagnosed cancer patients were recruited from the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Cordoba (Spain). Participants completed a set of questionnaires including the Berlin Social Support Scale (BSSS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and a socio‐demographic questionnaire. Data were collected at two time points: T1 (30–45 days after diagnosis) and T2 (180–200 days after). TRIPOD checklist was used. Results Most of the caregivers were female (65%) and the partner of the patient (58%), with an average age of 51.63 years (SD = 13.25). Statistical differences were observed between the two assessment points for the social support domains of perceived emotional support, satisfaction with support and protective buffering. Logistic regression analysis showed that less physical and sports activity, more support seeking and less informational support received at T1 predicted anxiety at T2, while less perceived available support predicted depression. Conclusions Accurate information and support from other members of the community and the promotion of physical and sports routines for cancer caregivers may help to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression in the first months after a partner's cancer diagnosis. Relevance to clinical practice Clinicians must pay attention to the social support needs and physical activity of caregivers in the first days after diagnosis, in order to prevent anxiety and depression.

Cancer is still one of the principal causes of morbidity and mortality around the world, second only to cardiovascular disease. It is estimated that in 2018, the deaths caused by cancer reached 9.6 million, with 18.1 million new cancer diagnoses, showing an increasing trend, as in 2012 the cancer incidence was 14 million worldwide (Bray et al., 2018). In Spain, the data show a similar pattern, with cancer as the cause of 427,721 deaths, and the new cancer diagnosis rate keeps growing from 247,721 in 2015-277,234 in 2019 (Sociedad española de Oncología Médica [SEOM], 2020).Patients diagnosed with cancer experience an alteration in their life course, modifying some levels of their lives: physical, psychological, social, work and economic. This situation also affects their families or close relatives who act as caregivers (Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer [AECC], 2019;Stanton et al., 2015). An informal caregiver can be defined as an individual who provides care to the cancer patient and is not paid to do so, usually without