Cancer Survivors' and Care Partners' Audio Diaries on Stress and Social Support Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Kristin G Cloyes, Kelly J Mansfield, Sarah E Wawrzynski and 3 others
PMID 38538507WHAT IT FOUND
Cancer survivors and care partners described shared stressors: cancer, work, family, isolation and finances.
Care partners reported less feedback that helps them judge their situation, so ask what reassurance or perspective is missing.
Key findings
01Diaries identified five common stress sources: cancer-related concerns (28.8%), work-related stressors (26.8%), family (23.1%), social isolation (13.4%) and finances (8.0%), with no significant role differences.
02Emotional support was most frequent (32.1%), then companionship (25.3%), appraisal (17.9%), instrumental (16.7%) and informational support (8.02%); survivors reported more appraisal support than care partners (27.8% vs 11.4%).
03Care partners reported significantly less appraisal support and were less likely to discuss caregiving challenges. This points to a support gap that may be hard to address.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The diary sample was mostly white, non-Hispanic, women and spouse or partner participants, so it may not represent more diverse survivor-care partner groups. The study described pandemic-time experiences and did not test whether any support intervention helped. Only some participants chose to record diaries, and a small number of diaries were missing. The study was conducted during COVID-19, when access to care and formal support was disrupted, so findings may not apply to non-pandemic settings.
Declared interests
The paper states the authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the care partner appraisal support gap as proof that a specific support programme will help. The study described what participants recorded during diaries and did not test an intervention.