Psychosocial interventions for informal caregivers of lung cancer patients: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective: Caregivers of patients with lung cancer often face physical, emotional, and financial distress, which not only negatively affects the caregivers' mental health and quality of life but may also impact patients' well-being. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the content, delivery, and efficacy of psychosocial interventions targeting caregivers of lung cancer patients. Methods: Studies included in this systematic review assessed psychosocial interventions for caregivers of lung cancer patients that were published in English between January 2009 and December 2017. These interventions focused on burden, mental health, quality of life, self-efficacy, and/or coping as outcome measures. CINAHL, PubMed, PsycInfo, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases were searched using the terms (lung cancer OR lung neoplasms OR thoracic cancer) AND (caregiver OR caregiving) AND (intervention OR program) to systematically review the relevant literature on this topic. Results: From the 22 studies included in this systematic review, interventions were classified into four categories: communication-based interventions, coping skills training interventions, multicomponent interventions, and stress reduction interventions.The majority of the interventions (especially communication-based and multicomponent) led to improvement, albeit not always statistically significant, in one or more outcomes; however, the most frequently reported improvements included, burden, distress, anxiety, depression, overall quality of life, self-efficacy, and coping abilities. Conclusions:The unmet needs of informal caregivers of lung cancer patients have a significant impact on their mental health and quality of life, but this burden can be alleviated by psychosocial interventions that offer appropriate support, education, and resources. KEYWORDS caregivers, lung cancer, oncology, psychosocial interventions, quality of life, systematic review

COPD at the end of life: Predictors of the emotional distress of patients and their family caregivers

“…Based on the linear regression analysis and the QCA, the medical variables of the patient, such as time since diagnosis, number of hospital admissions, comorbidity and functional dependence play an essential role in the emotional distress of the family, as does the emotional distress of the patient [ 22 , 23 ]. The relevance of family caregiver burden is fundamental in preventing their emotional distress, so future studies focused on designing intervention programs in this regard should consider the importance of including elements to reduce the caregiver burden [ 13 , 17 , 19 , 22 ].…”

“…Based on the linear regression analysis and the QCA, the medical variables of the patient, such as time since diagnosis, number of hospital admissions, comorbidity and functional dependence play an essential role in the emotional distress of the family, as does the emotional distress of the patient [22,23]. The relevance of family caregiver burden is fundamental in preventing their emotional distress, so future studies focused on designing intervention programs in this regard should consider the importance of including elements to reduce the caregiver burden [13,17,19,22]. Therefore, central elements in emotional distress in palliative COPD patients and their families are the caregiver's burden and the patient's functional independence, taking into account that time since diagnosis, number of admissions, and comorbidity also play a role.…”

“…Symptoms of anxiety and depressions are frequently reported by family caregivers of highly dependent patients [14,16,17]. The perceived burden has an enormous impact on the degree of depression the family caregiver may suffer [18,19]. Younger family members tend to experience more significant emotional distress, whereas older people find it harder to undertake the tasks that taking care of their family member involves [10,11].…”

Palliative Care for Cancer Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic, With Special Focus on Lung Cancer

“…Self-isolation affects not only the lung cancer patient but also their informal caregivers, as social support and psychosocial interventions, although effective ( 47 ), decreased for this group, while the burden of caregiving remained. Furthermore, informal caregivers were increasingly confronted with patients dying at home, as hospices were less available, and professional HCP reduced their visits.…”

Enhanced coping and self‐efficacy in caregivers of stem cell transplant recipients: Identifying mechanisms of a multimodal psychosocial intervention

“…Thus, caregivers of HCT recipients often experience a tremendous caregiving burden as well as decrements in their quality of life (QOL) and mood 1,2 . Psychosocial interventions aimed at mitigating the negative effects of cancer caregiving have demonstrated some improvements in caregivers' distress, mood, QOL, coping, and self‐efficacy 3 ; however, results have been mixed 4,5 . These inconsistencies may be due to variations in the intervention content and timing used across these trials.…”