Factors Affecting Psychological Distress in Family Caregivers of Critically Ill Patients: A Qualitative Study.
Amanda C Blok, Thomas S Valley, Lauren E Weston and 3 others
PMID 36587003WHAT IT FOUND
ICU family caregivers with anxiety described distress from waiting for news, lack of information about staff roles, family conflict, and money worries; caregivers with low anxiety used less distress language and described coping actions and family mediation.
Key findings
01Family caregivers with anxiety described distress related to waiting for news, setbacks or complications, and lack of information about staff roles and discharge plans.
02Family caregivers with low anxiety were less likely to use distress language and more often described coping actions, family mediation, and already having financial arrangements.
03Caregiver distress language clustered around patient health status, the health care system, family functioning, and housing or financial security.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted only at an academic medical center and only included family caregivers of patients receiving mechanical ventilation, so it may not reflect other ICU settings or families. It did not collect detailed socioeconomic status, distance from the hospital, or preexisting anxiety or health conditions, and had limited information about each patient's condition. The study described experiences and did not test whether communication or support changes caregiver distress.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that proactive communication or financial support reduces caregiver distress. The study described caregivers' experiences and did not test any intervention.