title: Economic burdens and quality of life of family caregivers of cancer patients.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Quality of Cancer Care Branch, National Cancer Center, Madu-dong, Ilsan-gu Goyang, Korea. lawyun@ncc.re.kr
authors.forename: Young Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Young Sun
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.forename: Im Ok
authors.initials: IO
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jung Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Soo Mee
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.forename: Won Sup
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jun Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Si Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Young Seon
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: 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