title: Modifiable factors associated with caregiver burden among family caregivers of terminally ill Korean cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Higher caregiver burden is associated with poor quality of life among family caregivers. However, in Korea, very few studies have examined factors associated with caregiver burden. The present study investigated factors associated with caregiver burden among family caregivers of terminally ill Korean cancer patients, particularly modifiable factors as a potential target of intervention strategies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires was performed. Sixty-four family caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients who were admitted to the hospice-palliative care unit of a university hospital in South Korea were included. To identify caregiver burden, the Caregiver Reaction Assessment scale (CRA) was used in this study. Time spent in providing care per day, number of visits per week from other family members, family functioning, and a positive subscale, self-esteem, of the CRA were deemed as modifiable factors. Other sociodemographic, caregiving characteristics of the subjects were non-modifiable factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Longer time spent providing care per day, fewer weekly visits from other family members, poor family functioning, and low self-esteem were considered as modifiable factors associated with caregiver burden. Low monthly income and the spouse being the family caregiver were non-modifiable factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study has practical significance in that it identifies modifiable factors that can be used to devise intervention strategies. Developing and applying such intervention strategies for alleviating the factors associated with high caregiver burden could be important for improving the quality of life of both patients and their families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Research Institute for Medical Sciences, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seok-Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Jong-Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Gyu
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Sung-Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Samyong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D017051:Hospice Care; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019452:Terminally Ill