Purpose
When it comes to cancer care, the psychological well-being of family caregivers has gotten its deserved attention. However, the specific roles that the family caregivers take have not been examined as much. The current study aimed to investigate the distribution of family caregivers’ roles, particularly in a family-oriented culture, Korea.
Materials and Methods
A sample of 439 participants was recruited from 11 national and regional cancer centers in Korea. The participants who were 60 years old or above went through treatments for their gastric, colorectal, or lung cancer. The individual survey included questions regarding the family type, living arrangement, and the sources of support when it comes to their physical, emotional, financial, and decision-making needs.
Results
The responses from the participants showed that cancer caregiving is shared by multiple family caregivers; the major source of support for elderly cancer patients on diverse domains was their spouse; patients’ reliance on their daughter(s) increased for emotional support; and patients’ reliance on their son(s) stood out for financial support and decision-making support. Also, the older the patients were, the heavier their reliance was on the adult children, including sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law.
Conclusion
Future support programs for elderly cancer patients are suggested to involve multiple family caregivers to encourage effective and efficient intervention. Also, the limitations of the current study and the suggestions for future research are discussed.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Caregiving for Older Family Members by Young Caregivers in Singapore: Transition, Trials, and Tribulations Araviinthansai Subramaniam, Kalyani Kirtikar Mehta International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2024; 21(2): 182. CrossRef
Good Together Makes it Better? Carolina Blom, Ana Catarina Reis, Leonor Lencastre European Journal of Psychology Open.2024; 83(3): 119. CrossRef
Caregiving Strain, family functioning, and effort to change diet for patients with gastrointestinal cancer: A cross-sectional descriptive study Myung Kyung Lee European Journal of Oncology Nursing.2023; 62: 102264. CrossRef
Preferred and actual involvement of caregivers in oncologic treatment decision-making: A systematic review Laura M.L. Tielemans, Kirsten D. van Heugten, Marije E. Hamaker, Inez C. van Walree Journal of Geriatric Oncology.2023; 14(6): 101525. CrossRef
Effectiveness of Nursing Interventions for Patients With Cancer and their Family Members: A Systematic Review Cristina Alfaro-Díaz, Erla Kolbrun Svavarsdottir, Nuria Esandi, Marianne E. Klinke, Ana Canga-Armayor Journal of Family Nursing.2022; 28(2): 95. CrossRef
Active Engagement, Protective Buffering, and Depressive Symptoms in Young-Midlife Couples Surviving Cancer: The Roles of Age and Sex Karen S. Lyons, Jessica R. Gorman, Brandon S. Larkin, Grace Duncan, Brandon Hayes-Lattin Frontiers in Psychology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Exploring positive experiences of primary and secondary caregivers of older persons in resource-limited urban settings in Accra, Ghana Frank Kyei-Arthur, Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Delali Margaret Badasu, Vijayaprasad Gopichandran PLOS ONE.2022; 17(4): e0266269. CrossRef
Health practices in Europe towards families of older patients with cancer: a scoping review Hanne Konradsen, Anne Brødsgaard, Birte Østergaard, Erla Svavarsdóttir, Karin B. Dieperink, Lorenz Imhof, Marie Louise Luttik, Romy Mahrer‐Imhof, Cristina García‐Vivar Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences.2021; 35(2): 375. CrossRef
Family Caregivers' Emotional Preparedness for Death is Distinct from Their Cognitive Prognostic Awareness for Cancer Patients Siew Tzuh, Wen-Cheng Chang, Wen-Chi Chou, Chia-Hsun Hsieh, Jen-Shi Chen, Fur-Hsing Wen Journal of Palliative Medicine.2021; 24(3): 405. CrossRef
Exploring perceptions and practices of cancer care among caregivers and care recipients of breast cancer in India Shradha S. Parsekar, Ajay Bailey, Binu V. S., Suma Nair Psycho-Oncology.2020; 29(4): 737. CrossRef