Factors Related to the Caregiving Burden on Families of Korean Patients With Lung Cancer

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to describe caregiver burden on families of patients with lung cancer and to examine its associated factors, including patient symptoms and symptom clusters. In this cross-sectional study, 120 patient-caregiver dyads were recruited from an outpatient clinic in a tertiary care hospital. Patient symptoms and caregiver burden were measured with structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Three patient symptom clusters were identified. Hierarchical regression showed that a patient’s smoking history; caregiver age, education, health status, depression, social support, monthly family income, relationship with patient, and time spent on nursing each day; and presence of another caregiver explained 41.4% of the total variance in caregiver burden. When patient symptom clusters were added to regression model, change in total variance in caregiver burden was significant. To reduce their burden, caregivers should be taught how cancer progresses and its major symptoms after chemotherapy.