title: Psychological impairments burden and spirituality in caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients.
abstract: The role of spirituality on the psychological health was mostly investigated through studies conducted in terminally ill patients. However, there are not studies investigating the role of religious and spiritual beliefs on psychological state and on burden dimensions in caregivers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between spirituality, burden, and psychological state in caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients. Two hundred caregivers of terminally ill patients with cancer were interviewed using Prolonged Grief Disorder 12 (PG-12), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D), Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and System of Belief Inventory (SBI-15R). The caregiver burden was positively correlated with anxiety, depression and PG-12 scores. The intrinsic spirituality was a significant predictor of the time-dependence burden (positively associated); and of the emotional burden (negatively associated). In caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients, higher levels of intrinsic spirituality predicted a higher amount of time devote to caregiving, and also protected against the emotional distress linked to providing assistance.
authors.affiliation: Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry and Psychology Institute, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.affiliation: Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Mario
authors.affiliation: Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.affiliation: U.O. di Cure Palliative, Fondazione Sanità e Ricerca, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.affiliation: U.O. di Cure Palliative, Fondazione Sanità e Ricerca, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ginobbi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aceto
authors.affiliation: U.O. di Cure Palliative, Fondazione Sanità e Ricerca, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lombardo
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D029181:Spirituality; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D019452:Terminally Ill
keywords: anxiety; burden; depression; prolonged grief; spirituality