Symptom Clusters and Influencing Factors in Family Caregivers of Individuals With Cancer.
Lena J Lee, Leslie Wehrlen, Gwenyth R Wallen and 2 others
PMID 33259376WHAT IT FOUND
Family caregivers of people starting cancer treatment fell into low and high symptom burden groups.
Higher loneliness and greater perceived impact of caregiving on health were associated with the high burden group.
Key findings
01Cluster analysis identified two caregiver symptom groups: a low burden group and a high burden group.
02Caregivers who reported a greater impact of caregiving on their health were 3.7 times more likely to be in the high symptom burden group.
03Higher loneliness was associated with being in the high symptom burden group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether loneliness or caregiving health impact caused high symptom burden, or whether high symptom burden increased those factors. The sample was small, especially the 23 caregivers in the high symptom burden group, which limits confidence in the predictor findings. There was no comparison group, and patients had different diseases and treatments, so the findings may not apply to all cancer caregiver groups. The caregivers were mostly White, relatively young, and well-educated, and they were recruited only from a research hospital, so results may not generalize to older, less educated, minority, or community cancer caregiver populations. 139 caregivers enrolled and 129 completed the baseline survey, so the analysis was based on a smaller group than enrolled.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the associations with loneliness and caregiving health impact as proof that these factors cause caregiver symptom clusters or that reducing them will improve symptoms. The study was cross-sectional and did not test an intervention.