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- Title
Passages of cancer caregivers' unmet needs across 8 years.
- Authors
Kim, Youngmee; Carver, Charles S.; Ting, Amanda; Cannady, Rachel S.
- Abstract
<bold>Background: </bold>Identifying and addressing caregivers' unmet needs have been suggested as a way of reducing their distress and improving their quality of life. However, the needs of family cancer caregivers are complex in the period of long-term survivorship in particular because they may diverge as the patients' survivorship trajectory does, and that is what this study investigated.<bold>Methods: </bold>Family cancer caregivers completed prospective, longitudinal surveys 2, 5, and 8 years after diagnosis (n = 633). Early caregiving characteristics and demographics were measured at 2 years. Caregiver status (former caregivers-remission, current caregivers, and bereaved caregivers) and unmet needs were measured at 3 assessments.<bold>Results: </bold>Caregivers' unmet needs at 8 years were attributable to the passages of the caregiving status as their patients' illness trajectory diverged from the initial state of receiving care. Specifically, either prolonged caregiving or having a break from caregiving followed by bereavement during long-term survivorship was related to various domains of unmet needs at 8 years (t > 2.35, P < .02). Early perceived caregiving stress also predicted all domains of unmet needs at 8 years (t > 2.50, P < .02). Unmet needs at 8 years were the highest across the 3 assessment time points (F > 37.51, P < .001).<bold>Conclusions: </bold>The caregiving status trajectory over 8 years was a substantial predictor of family caregivers' unmet needs at the 8-year mark. Findings provide guidance for the development of evidence-based programs and patient/caregiver-centered care policies to reduce the unmet needs of family caregivers, which reflect the diverse trajectories of cancer caregivership, many years after the diagnosis of their patients.
- Subjects
CAREGIVERS; DISEASE progression; QUALITY of life; CANCER patients; CANCER; BEREAVEMENT; MENTAL health; TUMOR treatment; RESEARCH; TIME; RESEARCH methodology; MEDICAL cooperation; EVALUATION research; COMPARATIVE studies; PSYCHOLOGY of caregivers; RESEARCH funding; MEDICAL needs assessment; LONGITUDINAL method; STANDARDS
- Publication
Cancer (0008543X), 2020, Vol 126, Issue 20, p4593
- ISSN
0008-543X
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1002/cncr.33053