Prevalence of distress and its associated factors among caregivers of people diagnosed with cancer: A cross-sectional study.
Deborah L Kirk, Istvan Kabdebo, Lisa Whitehead
PMID 34894019WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers contacting a cancer support line were often severely distressed.
Sadness, sleep problems, loss of interest, and problems with a partner or children were linked to higher distress. Nurses can use a brief distress screen to identify caregivers who may need support.
Key findings
01Among 956 caregivers of people with cancer, 96.2% were clinically distressed and 66.7% were severely distressed.
02Worry, sadness and fears were the three most frequently reported problems, identified by 79.0%, 75.8% and 57.4% of the sample.
03Problems dealing with a partner, dealing with children, sadness, sleep problems and loss of interest were significantly associated with higher distress, while men were 38% less likely than women to report higher distress.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Many key details were missing: 43.4% did not report the care recipient's diagnosis, 48.9% did not report cancer stage, and 41.3% had missing ethnicity. The study measured caregivers at one time and did not adjust for time since diagnosis. It cannot show that any factor caused higher distress. Some problem-list items may have described the care recipient's physical or sleep problems, not the caregiver's own problems. The sample came from people already seeking support from a helpline and who were proficient in English. It may not represent all caregivers of people with cancer. Cancer diagnosis and stage were self-reported by caregivers, not verified from clinical records.
Declared interests
The author declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 96.2% clinically distressed figure as the distress rate for all caregivers of people with cancer. These caregivers had already contacted a cancer support line, and the study measured associations at one time rather than showing cause.