Differential levels of stress in caregivers of brain tumor patients—observations from a pilot study

Keir, Stephen T.; Guill, Ann Bebe; Carter, Karen E.; Boole, Lindsay C.; Gonzales, Lazaro; Friedman, Henry S.

doi:10.1007/s00520-006-0090-1

Cited by 48 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Actually, Janda et al [38] found a trend for lower quality of life among caregivers that looked after patients with high-grade disease. However, other research reported that caregivers of patients with grade I/II tumors were more stressed than their grade III/IV counterparts [39]. A possible explanation for these discrepant results is that a diagnosis of brain tumor leads to a life in which the perception of ''incurable disease'' prevails, as compared with ''high-or low-grade disease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

The burden of brain tumor: a single-institution study on psychological patterns in caregivers

et al. 2011

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Quality of life and well-being in caregivers are usually partly neglected since all attention is focused on patients and the way they react to the illness. Carers also usually neglect their own needs, especially when the illness of the patient is as complex as a brain tumor. The aim of this study is to investigate how caregivers deal with a diagnosis of brain tumor in their relatives and how they manage their quality of life and psychosocial well-being. One hundred primary caregivers of patients with brain tumors were interviewed and were asked to fill in self-administered questionnaires detecting multidimensional levels of quality of life, anxiety, depression, and psychosocial reaction to the patient's illness. Data were related with some functional and psychosocial information collected about the patient's disease. Caregivers try to react to the illness of their relatives by mobilizing their physical reaction and growing their self-esteem, but they live with a clinically significant impairment of their quality of life, and experience a deep level of anxiety and depression. The caregivers' burden appears mainly in their ability to provide care and in financial strain. The length of disease and the functional status of patients significantly influence caregivers' psychosocial well-being. Despite the appearance they want to show their affected relatives, caregivers suffer from deep limitation in their quality of life. The relevance of caregivers' burden suggests the importance of psychological support to improve reaction to the illness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

The burden of brain tumor: a single-institution study on psychological patterns in caregivers

et al. 2011

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“…Providing care to a person with a PMBT involves managing cognitive and physical deficits that become worse throughout the trajectory. Caregivers typically are older female spouses (Cashman et al, 2007; Keir et al, 2006; Muñoz et al, 2008; Salander & Spetz, 2002; Schmer, Ward-Smith, Latham, & Salacz, 2008; Sherwood, Given, Doorenbos, & Given, 2004; Sherwood et al, 2006, 2007; Wideheim, Edvardsson, Påhlson, & Ahlström, 2002). Few studies of caregivers of individuals with a PMBT exist and, although reports of sleep disturbances have been noted, no studies of sleep have been reported in this unique caregiving population.…”

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confidence: 99%

Sleep Characteristics of Family Caregivers of Individuals With a Primary Malignant Brain Tumor

Pawl¹,

Lee²,

Clark³

et al. 2013

Oncology Nursing Forum

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Purpose/Objectives To describe the sleep characteristics of family caregivers of individuals with a primary malignant brain tumor (PMBT). Design Cross-sectional, correlational design using baseline data from a longitudinal study. Setting Neuro-oncology and neurosurgery clinics at an urban tertiary medical center in the United States. Sample 133 family caregivers recruited one to two months following diagnosis of family member’s PMBT. Methods Subjective and objective measures of sleep were obtained via self-report and the use of accelerometers (three nights). Main Research Variables Sleep characteristics including sleep latency, total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, number of naps, number of arousals, sleep-wake cycle, and sleep quality. Findings Sleep latency in caregivers was, on average, 35 minutes (SD = 34.5)—more than twice as long as the norm of 15 minutes (t[113]) = 6.18, p < 0.01). Caregivers averaged a total sleep time of 5 hours and 57 minutes (SD = 84.6), significantly less than the recommended 7 hours (t[113] = −8, p < 0.01), and were awake in the night 15% of the time, significantly more than the norm of 10% (t[111] = 5.84, p < 0.01). Caregivers aroused an average of 8.3 times during nocturnal sleep (SD = 3.5, range = 2–21), with about 32% reporting poor or very poor sleep quality. Conclusions Caregivers experienced sleep impairments that placed them at risk for poor mental and physical health, and may compromise their ability to continue in the caregiving role. Implications for Nursing Nurses need to assess sleep in caregivers of individuals with PMBT and implement interventions to improve sleep. Knowledge Translation Sleep deprivation is common in family caregivers during the early stages of care for individuals with a PMBT. A single-item sleep quality question could be an easy but valuable tool in assessing sleep disturbances in family caregivers of individuals with a PMBT. The health trajectory of family caregivers warrants further longitudinal study, in addition to the examination of the bidirectional relationship of health status of care recipients and their family caregiver.

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“…Caregivers experienced increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, strain in intimate relationships, and diminished physical health. 9,20,28 As expected, patients' functional status was correlated with caregivers' QoL. Caregivers of glioma patients with a loss of independence reported more burden than caregivers of patients with good scores for performance status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

“…Indeed, patients' QoL depends in part upon the availability of support and the capacity of the caregiver. 16,17 Caregivers of patients with brain tumors are considered a unique subset of the cancer caregiver population, 18 and issues related to QoL are very important to them 19 because of the challenges they have to confront in caring for a loved one who is suffering from a disease with a potentially short terminal trajectory and severe functional, 20 cognitive, and neuropsychological sequelae 21 that produce major changes in their lifestyle. 16 The QoL of glioma caregivers is expected to be more disrupted than that of any other oncology caregivers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the quality of life among caregivers of patients with gliomas

Flores

Berbis

Chinot

et al. 2014

Neuro-Oncology Practice

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Differential levels of stress in caregivers of brain tumor patients—observations from a pilot study

Cited by 48 publications

References 25 publications

The burden of brain tumor: a single-institution study on psychological patterns in caregivers

The burden of brain tumor: a single-institution study on psychological patterns in caregivers

Sleep Characteristics of Family Caregivers of Individuals With a Primary Malignant Brain Tumor

Assessing the quality of life among caregivers of patients with gliomas

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