Family Caregivers to Adults with Cancer: The Consequences of Caring

Abstract

A person living with cancer will potentially have some degree of physical, cognitive, and/or psychological impairment, periods of unemployment, financial concerns, social isolation, and existential questions, any or all of which can impact the family and friends who surround them. In our current era of health care, patients with cancer receive invasive diagnostic studies and aggressive treatment as outpatients, and then convalesce at home. As such, cancer family caregivers are de facto partners with the healthcare team. The cancer family caregiver role is demanding and may lead to increased morbidity and mortality-in effect, the cancer family caregiver can become a second patient in need of care. This chapter discusses the consequences cancer family caregivers may accrue. The topics covered include caregiver mood disturbance and psychological impairment and some of the mutable factors that contribute to these states (i.e., sleep disturbance, decline in physical health, restriction of activities, and financial concerns), uncertainty, spiritual concerns, and caregiver witnessing. There is a discussion of the factors that influence the caregiving experience (caregiver characteristics, patient characteristics, and social supports). The chapter concludes with comments on intervention studies that have been conducted to ameliorate the burden of caregiving, and the state of caregiver research.

Qigong Mind-Body Program for Caregivers of Cancer Patients: Design of a Pilot Three-Arm Randomized Clinical Trial

“…12 Moreover, the burden among cancer caregivers often persists for years after patients' initial cancer diagnosis, with evidence of long-term detriments to health and QOL. [13][14][15][16] 1.3 The burden experienced by caregivers is complex and best viewed through a biopsychosocial framework Caregivers burden is de ned as "the extent to which caregivers perceive that caregiving has had an adverse effect on their emotional, social, nancial, physical, and spiritual functioning." 17 This de nition emphasizes the multidimensional and biopsychosocial complexity of caregiving.…”

“…11,18 Examples of psychosocial symptoms experienced by all caregivers, including cancer caregivers, include increased anxiety, depression, isolation, lack of social support, helplessness, loss of control, and fear of recurrence. [14][15][16][19][20][21] More behavioral and somatic concerns include lack of exercise, poor sleep, fatigue, weight gain or loss leading to impaired immune system function, coronary heart disease, and early mortality. 2,5,22,23 Caregivers of both older children and adult patients also report a signi cantly higher prevalence of musculoskeletal pain, attributed to lifting and transferring heavy loads, 24,25 paralleling load-related problems widely reported by caregivers based in medical settings.…”

Qigong mind-body program for caregivers of cancer patients: Design of a pilot three-arm randomized clinical trial

“…11,18 Examples of psychosocial symptoms experienced by all caregivers, including cancer caregivers, include increased anxiety, depression, isolation, lack of social support, helplessness, loss of control, and fear of recurrence. [14][15][16][19][20][21] More behavioral and somatic concerns include lack of exercise, poor sleep, fatigue, weight gain or loss leading to impaired immune system function, coronary heart disease, and early mortality. 2,5,22,23 Caregivers of both older children and adult patients also report a signi cantly higher prevalence of musculoskeletal pain, attributed to lifting and transferring heavy loads.…”

“…6 7 Moreover, the burden among cancer caregivers often persists for years after patients' initial cancer diagnosis, with evidence of long-term detriments to health and QOL. [13][14][15][16] Therefore, it is vital to develop effective and practical interventions to prevent and manage the psychological and physical stressors that reduce QOL in caregivers.…”

Afrontamiento, funcionamiento familiar y calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en cuidadores venezolanos de pacientes con cáncer

“…La sobrecarga en el cuidado del familiar diagnosticado incide de forma negativa tanto en la salud física como mental de todos los miembros de la familia, pero sobre todo en quienes asumen el rol de cuidadores primarios (Kissane y Parne, 2015;Garassini, 2016;Williams, 2018). Algunas consecuencias de la sobrecarga en la salud de los cuidadores de pacientes oncológicos son síntomas físicos tales como dolores musculares, fatiga, alteraciones del sueño o insomnio y respuesta inmunológica reducida.…”