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Role of Cancer Caregivers and Health Promotion

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 11207

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Nursing Department, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
2. Coordinator of the Master "New Care Trends in Health Sciences", Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Podiatry, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
Interests: caregivers; health promotion; health management; nursing education research

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Co-Guest Editor
Nursing Department, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
Interests: health occupation students; health promotion; nursing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is one of the main causes of death around the world. Due to the progressive increase in cancer patients, a greater number of caregivers is needed. They must perform multiple tasks that generate a heavy workload, which can cause health problems (physical, psychological, and social, among others) that affect the quality of life of caregivers. For this reason, it is vital to research the role of cancer caregivers and health promotion activities aimed at improving the quality of life of these caregivers.

In this Special Issue, we invite multidisciplinary researchers interested in cancer caregivers and health promotion, to submit their papers based on different methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, among others.

Prof. Dr. María Dolores Guerra-Martín
Prof. Dr. Álvaro Borrallo-Riego
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cancer
  • caregivers
  • caregiver burden
  • caregiver appraisal
  • caregiver care
  • quality of life
  • health promotion
  • health programs
  • program evaluation
  • quantitative and qualitative studies
  • systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 351 KiB  
Article
The Association of Resilience with Way of Coping, Psychological Well-Being and Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Cancer
by Joyce Oi Kwan Chung, William Ho Cheung Li, Laurie Long Kwan Ho and Ankie Tan Cheung
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(10), 5765; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20105765 - 9 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1783
Abstract
Evidence shows that resilience is crucial to maintain psychological well-being and quality of life in the face of stress and adversity. However, the relationships between resilience and psychological well-being and factors associated with quality of life in Hong Kong Chinese parents of children [...] Read more.
Evidence shows that resilience is crucial to maintain psychological well-being and quality of life in the face of stress and adversity. However, the relationships between resilience and psychological well-being and factors associated with quality of life in Hong Kong Chinese parents of children with cancer are underexplored. This study aimed to examine the interrelationships among resilience, ways of coping, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Chinese parents of children with cancer, and identify factors associated with their quality of life. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 119 Chinese parents of children with cancer at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital between January 2020 and March 2022. Parents’ resilience level, ways of coping, depressive symptoms, state anxiety scores, perceived social support, and quality of life were assessed. Participating parents (n = 119) included 98 mothers (82.4%) and 11 parents were from single-parent families (9.2%). Almost half (47.9%) of the parents were potentially at risk for depression. The results showed that participants from single-parent families reported statistically significantly lower levels of resilience (p < 0.001), more depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), and poorer quality of life (p < 0.001) than those who lived with their partners (married). In addition, parents who adopted problem-focused coping strategies reported statistically significantly higher levels of resilience (p < 0.001), fewer depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), and better quality of life (p < 0.001) than those who adopted emotion-focused coping strategies. A multiple regression analysis revealed that resilience (p < 0.001) was associated with quality of life among parents of children with cancer. This study provides further support that resilience is an important factor associated with quality of life in parents of children with cancer. Assessing resilience in parents is an important prerequisite for designing appropriate interventions to increase their resilience and enhance their quality of life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Cancer Caregivers and Health Promotion)
10 pages, 626 KiB  
Article
Effect of Self-Chosen Music in Alleviating the Burden on Family Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Trial
by Inmaculada Valero-Cantero, Cristina Casals, Milagrosa Espinar-Toledo, Francisco Javier Barón-López, Francisco Javier Martínez-Valero, Nuria García-Agua Soler and María Ángeles Vázquez-Sánchez
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4662; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054662 - 6 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2045
Abstract
The experience of caregiver burden among family members of patients with advanced cancer is a common problem. The aim of this study was to determine whether the burden may be alleviated by means of a therapeutic approach based on self-chosen music. This randomised [...] Read more.
The experience of caregiver burden among family members of patients with advanced cancer is a common problem. The aim of this study was to determine whether the burden may be alleviated by means of a therapeutic approach based on self-chosen music. This randomised controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04052074. Registered 9 August 2019) included 82 family caregivers of patients receiving home palliative care for advanced cancer. The intervention group (n = 41) listened to pre-recorded, self-chosen music for 30 min/day for seven consecutive days, while the control group (n = 41) listened to a recording of basic therapeutic education at the same frequency. The degree of burden was assessed by the Caregiver Strain Index (CSI), calculated before and after the seven-day intervention. According to this measure, caregiver burden fell significantly in the intervention group (CSI change: −0.56, SD 2.16) but increased in the control group (CSI change: +0.68, SD 1.47), with a significant group x moment interaction F(1, 80) = 9.30, p = 0.003, η2p = 0.11. These results suggest that, in the short term at least, the use of therapy based on self-chosen music alleviates the burden on family caregivers of palliative cancer patients. Moreover, this therapy is easy to administer at home and does not present any problems in practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Cancer Caregivers and Health Promotion)
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14 pages, 397 KiB  
Article
Factors Related to Family Caregivers’ Readiness for the Hospital Discharge of Advanced Cancer Patients
by Ru-Yu Huang, Ting-Ting Lee, Yi-Hsien Lin, Chieh-Yu Liu, Hsiu-Chun Wu and Shu-He Huang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 8097; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138097 - 1 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2072
Abstract
Background: Many family caregivers of advanced cancer patients worry about being unable to provide in-home care and delay the discharge. Little is known about the influencing factors of discharge readiness. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of family caregivers’ readiness, [...] Read more.
Background: Many family caregivers of advanced cancer patients worry about being unable to provide in-home care and delay the discharge. Little is known about the influencing factors of discharge readiness. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of family caregivers’ readiness, used a cross-sectional survey, and enrolled 123 sets of advanced cancer patients and family caregivers using convenience sampling from four oncology wards in a medical centre in northern Taiwan. A self-developed five-point Likert questionnaire, the “Discharge Care Assessment Scale”, surveyed the family caregivers’ difficulties with providing in-home care. Results: The study showed that the discharge readiness of family caregivers affects whether patients can be discharged home. Moreover, the influencing factors of family caregivers’ discharge readiness were the patient’s physical activity performance status and expressed discharge willingness; the presence of someone to assist family caregivers with in-home care; and the difficulties of in-home care. The best prediction model accuracy was78.0%, and the Nagelkerke R2 was 0.52. Conclusion: Discharge planning should start at the point of admission data collection, with the influencing factors of family caregivers’ discharge readiness. It is essential to help patients increase the likelihood of being discharged home. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Cancer Caregivers and Health Promotion)

Review

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23 pages, 825 KiB  
Review
Quality of Life in Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Literature Review
by María Dolores Guerra-Martín, María Del Rocío Casado-Espinosa, Yelena Gavira-López, Cristina Holgado-Castro, Inmaculada López-Latorre and Álvaro Borrallo-Riego
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1570; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021570 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4044
Abstract
(1) Background: Cancer constitutes one of the principal causes of morbi-mortality in the world and generates an important loss of patients’ self-sufficiency. People who are their caregivers usually become the main care providers, which impacts their quality of life; (2) Aim: Analyze the [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Cancer constitutes one of the principal causes of morbi-mortality in the world and generates an important loss of patients’ self-sufficiency. People who are their caregivers usually become the main care providers, which impacts their quality of life; (2) Aim: Analyze the different problems (physical, emotional, social, and financial) faced by people who are caregivers of adults with cancer and describe the strategies required to improve their quality of life; (3) Method: A literature review was conducted on the following database: PubMed, Cinahl, PsycINFO, and Scopus. The following eligibility criteria were specified: (a) research studies of quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods, (b) consistent with objective, and (c) published in the English language or Spanish during the last five years; (4) Results: 36 studies were selected from those found in the literature. Regarding the problems mentioned: eight studies described physical issues, 26 emotional effects, 10 social implications, and seven financial strains. Twenty-eight studies described strategies to improve the quality of life of caregivers; (5) Conclusions: Caregivers are usually women around the age of 50. Problems faced are mostly emotional in nature, followed by social, physical, and financial ones. In order to cope with this burden, there are some strategies that can be developed to help to build skills to manage both the disease and the impact derived from it, therefore improving their quality of life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Cancer Caregivers and Health Promotion)
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