Family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer show variations in spiritual coping levels

1. In this cross-sectional study, family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer had moderate spiritual coping levels.

2. However, there were variations in spiritual coping levels based on demographic factors, such as gender, religious identity, and the presence of depression and anxiety.

Evidence Rating Level: 3 (Average)

Family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer provide several forms of support to their loved ones, which often come at the expense of their own wellbeing. As a result, many family caregivers experience challenges related to mood, sleep, and more. Spiritual coping is one way to help alleviate the burden on family caregivers. Although spiritual coping has been explored in caregivers of those in other situations, such as stroke survivors or palliative care patients, the role of spiritual care in caregivers of patients with advanced cancer has not been well explored. This study aimed to evaluate the spiritual coping of family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.

This cross-sectional study included 358 family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer in Shanghai, China. Participants were included if the patient and caregiver were both 18 years or older, the caregiver was caring for a family member with stage III or IV cancer, and the carer was the primary caregiver involved in treatment decision-making. Participants were excluded if they were non-family member caregivers. Several questionnaires were administered to the caregivers to elucidate spiritual coping, social support, and mental health, including the Spiritual Coping Scale (SCS), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Hospital Anxiety/Depression Scale (HADS), and the Spiritual Health Scale-Short Form. The primary outcomes were the scores on the various instruments as a marker of spiritual coping.

The results demonstrated that family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer had moderate spiritual coping levels, evidenced by their total spiritual coping scores. There were significant differences in spiritual coping based on demographic characteristics. For example, caregivers who identified as women or religious had higher levels of spiritual coping. On the other hand, those with anxiety and depression exhibited lower levels of spiritual coping. There was no significant association between spiritual coping levels and caregiving burden, social support, optimistic-pessimistic tendencies, or hope. However, the study was limited by its cross-sectional nature, which prevented determinations about causality. Nonetheless, the present study outlined the spiritual coping levels of family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.

Click to read the study in Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

Image: PD

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