[Family functioning and quality of life of the family care-giver in cancer patients].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship among quality of life, family coherence, family hardiness, and family resources of the family care-giver caring for a cancer patient.


METHODS
Data was collected by questionnaires from 137 families with a cancer patient at a General Hospital and Government Cancer Hospital. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression.


RESULTS
The score of quality of life showed a significant positive correlation with the score of the level of family sense of coherence, family hardiness, and family resources. The most powerful predictor of quality of life was sense of coherence and the variance was 30%. A combination of sense of coherence and family resources account for 34 % of the variance in quality of life of the family care-giver caring for a cancer patient.


CONCLUSIONS
The results showed that family sense of coherence, hardiness, and family resources were significant influencing factors on the quality of life of the family care-giver caring for a cancer patient.
Han
Kuem Sun
KS
College of Nursing, Korea University, 126-1, AnAmDong, SungBukGu, Seoul, Korea. hksun@korea.ac.kr
Khim
Soon Yong
SY
Lee
Sook Ja
SJ
Park
Eun Sook
ES
Park
Young-Joo
YJ
Kim
Jeong Hwa
JH
Lee
Kwang Mi
KM
Kang
Hyun-Chul
HC
Yoon
Ji Won
JW
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires