Chris Nijboer

Cancer and caregiving : The impact on the caregiver's health

A diagnosis of cancer affects not only the patient but also their significant others, especially when a lot of care tasks are involved. Some caregivers perceive the care as a burden, while others consider it a challenge. In this article, findings concerning the impact of cancer caregiving on informal caregivers will be described. No consistent results are reported, and little is known about patterns of caregiving changes in relation to the course of the patients illness. Attention will be given to factors which have been identified as influencing the course and consequences of caregiving. These factors form the basis of a conceptual research model for caregivers of cancer patients. As cancer progresses, care tasks are generated, which can be perceived by the caregiver as either negative (i.e. burden) or positive. Furthermore, these caregiver experiences may lead to negative as well as positive effects on the caregivers health and these relationships can be assumed to be bidirectional.

Determinants of caregiving experiences and mental health of partners of cancer patients

Research regarding informal caregiving showed considerable individual variation in responses to cancer caregiving. The current longitudinal study examined determinants of caregiver outcomes in terms of caregiver experiences at 3 months and caregivers mental health at 6 months after hospital discharge. It included both negative and positive dimensions of caregiving outcomes.

Measuring both negative and positive reactions to giving care to cancer patients: psychometric qualities of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA)

The Caregiver Reaction Assessment Scale (CRA) is an instrument designed to assess specific aspects of the caregiving situation, including both negative and positive dimensions of caregiving reactions. This paper addresses the psychometric qualities of the CRA in a multicenter study among partners of colorectal cancer patients (n = 181). No problems in feasibility were observed. Five dimensions of caregiver reactions were identified through exploratory factor analysis: the impact of caregiving on disrupted schedule, financial problems, lack of family support, health problems and the impact of caregiving on caregivers self-esteem. Reliability analyses showed that standardized Cronbachs alphas varied between 0.62 and 0.83 for the separate subscales, indicating sufficient internal consistencies. Construct validity was supported. The CRA proves to be a feasible, reliable and valid instrument for assessing both negative and positive reactions to caregiving among partners of patients with cancer.

Dynamics in cancer caregiver's health over time : Gender-specific patterns and determinants

Abstract This study exandned patterns and determinants of three dimensions of caregivers health of newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients, i.e. physical, mental and social functioning (N= 148). Physical functioning declined within a 6-month period in female caregivers, while no change was observed in male caregivers. For mental and social functioning, an improvement was observed in male and female caregivers. Change in physical functioning was associated with gender, age, income and initial level. Change in mental functioning was predicted by initial status and positive as well as negative caregiver experiences. Change in social functioning was mainly predicted by initial level and change in patients dependency. Physical and mental functioning showed the least favorable patterns in female caregivers. The study shows that caregiving may lead to positive health consequences, and underlines the importance of making a distinction between male and female caregivers and of studying caregiver outcomes by using multidimensional assessments.