Economic burdens and quality of life of family caregivers of cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
We conducted this study to identify factors influencing the burdens cancer brings to a patient's family and to evaluate the association between the burdens and the caregiver's quality of life (QOL).


METHODS
Participants were drawn from the primary family caregivers of cancer patients at 6 university hospitals and the National Cancer Center in Korea. Of the 738 eligible caregivers, 704 (95.4%) completed the questionnaire packets (Family Impact Questions and Caregiver's QOL-Cancer).


RESULTS
Caregivers, who were poor (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.44-3.10), whose health status was poor (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.29-2.70), who were married (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.12-2.72), who provided care for a long time (OR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.59-3.28), who cared for patients with poor performance status (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.00-1.82), and who paid high medical expenses (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.21-2.40), were more likely to lose their family savings. In multiple regression analysis, most burden variables--including requiring caregiving assistance, major life change, inability to function normally, loss of savings, loss of income, and altered educational plans--were associated with caregiver QOL. Loss of family income, which was related to economic issues, was most strongly associated with it (16.0%).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that to improve caregiver QOL, we should give priority to decreasing the economic burden that cancer places on patient's family.
Yun
Young Ho
YH
Quality of Cancer Care Branch, National Cancer Center, Madu-dong, Ilsan-gu Goyang, Korea. lawyun@ncc.re.kr
Rhee
Young Sun
YS
Kang
Im Ok
IO
Lee
Jung Suk
JS
Bang
Soo Mee
SM
Lee
Won Sup
WS
Kim
Jun Suk
JS
Kim
Si Young
SY
Shin
Sang Won
SW
Hong
Young Seon
YS
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006304:Health Status; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires