Health Risk Factors in Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patients
Autor: | Manuela Partinico, Marianna Munafò, Daniela Palomba, Alice Corà |
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Rok vydání: | 2012 |
Předmět: |
Adult
Male Sleep Wake Disorders medicine.medical_specialty Home Nursing Blood Pressure Pilot Projects Anxiety Heart Rate Risk Factors Neoplasms Heart rate medicine Humans Dementia Psychiatry Qualitative Research Depression (differential diagnoses) Aged Terminal Care Depression Oncology (nursing) business.industry Stressor Case-control study Middle Aged medicine.disease Mental health Blood pressure Caregivers Oncology Case-Control Studies Physical therapy Female medicine.symptom business Stress Psychological |
Zdroj: | Cancer Nursing. 35:38-47 |
ISSN: | 0162-220X |
Popis: | Background A large body of literature sustains the association between long-lasting caregiving for impaired significant others and increased health risk. Depression, elevated heart rate, and blood pressure at rest are key measures of health risk, mostly cardiovascular, which have been generally studied in caregivers of patients affected by dementia or chronic illness. Limited research has been conducted on emotional and cardiovascular impact of family caregiving for terminally ill cancer patients. Objective The aim of the present study was to examine psychological and cardiovascular responses in terminal cancer caregivers. Methods Twenty relative caregivers who provided in-home or hospice care to terminally ill cancer patients and 20 age- and gender-matched controls were interviewed and assessed for emotional distress. Measures of cardiovascular risk, blood pressure, and heart rate were recorded at rest in 4 separate sessions. Results Caregivers reported higher levels of depression, state anxiety, and more sleep dysfunctions than controls. They also revealed heightened systolic and diastolic blood pressure in some measurements. Moreover, elevation of heart rate was associated with caregiving length. Conclusions The caregiving stressor is associated with considerable psychological vulnerability, sleep disorders, and risk of alterations in the cardiovascular system, which seem to be modulated by caregiving characteristics. Implications for practice This study shows the importance of screening caregivers for psychological as well as physical symptoms and disorders. An awareness of burden of terminal cancer caregivers could lead to timely proactive preventive interventions on their physical and mental health, to decrease negative outcomes. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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