Bereaved females are more likely to suffer from mood problems even if they do not meet the criteria for prolonged grief.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to describe the gender difference of grief experience and mood distress among caregivers who cared for terminal cancer patients residing in a hospice ward.


METHODS
This study recruited 432 caregivers who cared for terminal cancer patients in the hospice ward. Caregivers received telephone interviews 6 months after the patients had died. The Chinese versions of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) developed in 1995 by Prigerson et al. were employed to assess the mood distress and grief status.


RESULTS
Total scores of BDI, BAI, and ICG were significantly higher in females. Six out of twenty-one items of BDI, lack of satisfaction, crying spells, sleep disturbance, fatigability, somatic preoccupation, and loss of libido, showed significantly higher scores in females. According to BAI, inability to relax, dizziness, fear of dying, fright, flushed face, and hot/cold sweats were significantly higher in females. After adjustment for potential confounders, the results show that female gender is associated with higher BDI (regression coefficient 3.24, 95% CI: 1.48-4.99), BAI (3.8; 1.11-6.50), and ICG (4.25, 1.09-7.40). Dichotomizing the BDI, BAI, and ICG into severe and nonsevere cases, the results showed that gender only contributes to severe anxiety status (BAI ≥ 36), but not to severe depression (BDI ≥ 29) or to prolonged grief (ICG ≥ 25).


CONCLUSIONS
Bereaved females had higher scores for depression and anxiety than males. Female gender is associated with severe anxiety; however, it is not associated with severe depression or prolonged grief.
Chiu
Yu-Wen
YW
Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Yin
Shao-Min
SM
Hsieh
Hui-Ya
HY
Wu
Wei-Chun
WC
Chuang
Hung-Yi
HY
Huang
Chia-Tsuan
CT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001601:Bereavement; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult