title: Employment status and work-related difficulties among family members of terminally ill patients compared with the general population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although caregiving to patients with terminal illness is known to be a stressful burden to family members, little attention has been focused on work-related problems. We aimed to investigate employment status and work-related difficulties of family caregivers of terminal cancer patients, comparing with the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using structured questionnaires, we assessed family caregivers of 481 cancer patients determined by physicians to be terminally ill, from 11 university hospitals and the National Cancer Center in Korea.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 381 family caregivers of terminal cancer patients (response rate, 87.6%), 169 (43.9%) were not working before cancer diagnosis, but currently 233 (63.7%) were not working. Compared with the general population (36.5%), the percentage of not working among the family caregivers was higher (OR = 2.39; 95% CI= 1.73-3.29). A major reason for not working was to provide assistance to the patients (71.6%). 40.6% of those who continued working and 32.3% of those who not working family members reported extreme fatigue. Caregivers of old age, those who were female, those with a lower household income, and those caring for patients with a low performance status were not working at a more significant rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Family caregivers of terminal cancer patients suffer job loss and severe work-related difficulties, probably due to caregiving itself and to fatigue. We need to develop supportive programs to overcome the burden of caregivers of the terminally ill.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Control Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Seon Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yoon-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Young Rok
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Sam Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyun Sik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Jung Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Si-Yung
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung Sil
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ro
authors.forename: Jung Lim
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Woo Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sook Ryun
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yun
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005190:Family; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care; D013997:Time Factors; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*