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Cited by 85Nursing care and researchCancer survivorship and careFamily Caregiving in Mental Illness

The role of medical/nursing skills training in caregiver confidence and burden: A CanCORS study

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Mollica, Michelle A., Litzelman, Kristin, Rowland, Julia H., Kent, Erin E.·2017·Cancer
DOI 10.1002/cncr.30875PMC PMC5673528
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Informal cancer caregivers provide essential support to cancer patients, including performing direct medical/nursing tasks, assisting with activities of daily living, and offering social support. This study examined associations between the receipt of medical/nursing skills training and the caregiver burden as well as the mediation of caregiving confidence on this relationship in a sample of caregivers of lung and colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: Caregivers who had been identified by cancer patients in the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance consortium completed a questionnaire assessing the care provided, the type of medical/nursing skills training received, the burden (measured with the modified short‐form Zarit Burden Interview), and the confidence in caring for their patient's physical needs. Regression models that had been adjusted for sociodemographic, caregiver, and care recipient characteristics assessed the relationship between training received and burden, and a mediation analysis assessed the role of confidence in this relationship. RESULTS: Six hundred forty‐one caregivers performed some type of medical/nursing task, with 59% (n = 377) reporting that they did not receive training for all the care provided. Caregivers reported moderate levels of burden (mean summary score, 32.07; standard deviation, 12.66; possible range, 14‐70), and a lack of receipt of training was associated with greater levels of burden (b = 2.60; standard error, 0.98; P = .01). Confidence partially mediated the relation between training and burden (Sobel's t = 1.90; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: As the number of cancer patients and caregivers increases, understanding how best to reduce the caregiver burden is necessary. Skills training is a potential area for interventions, but research on how best to provide training for caregivers (ie, the content, mode of delivery, and timing) is needed. Cancer 2017;123:4481‐7. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

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  • 15 studies described caregivers as mostly spouses or daughters/sons of patients with cancer, usually sharing the same home.

    “As for family bonds, 15 studies described these caregivers as being mostly spouses or daughters/sons of the patients with cancer, usually sharing the same home [22,23,25,26,27,28,30,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39].”

    From Quality of Life in Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [30]

    The Results (Respondent and corresponding care recipient characteristics; page unavailable) report that 62.6% of caregivers were spouses of patients with lung or colorectal cancer. Our copy does not establish that daughters or sons were also a predominant group or that caregivers usually shared the patient's home. The count of 15 studies is the citing document's summary, not a finding attributed to this individual study. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • 26 studies alluded to emotional and psychological problems suffered by caregivers, highlighting anxiety, depression, feelings of grief and distress, and high levels of stress.

    “At an emotional level, 26 studies [22,23,25,26,27,28,29,30,33,34,35,36,38,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52] alluded to the emotional and psychological problems suffered by caregivers, highlighting anxiety, depression, feelings of grief and distress, and high levels of stress.”

    From Quality of Life in Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [30]

    The Results report moderate caregiver burden, and Methods > Measures includes an item about feeling stressed while balancing caregiving with other responsibilities. The paper therefore supports the broader point that caregivers experience strain, but our copy does not report anxiety, depression, grief, distress, or high levels of stress among its caregivers. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • 13 studies indicated the need of developing coping strategies to improve management and control of both the situation and emotional strain, and to help increase training in caregivers, thus improving self-efficacy while reducing emotional impact.

    “Thirteen studies [23,24,27,30,32,35,37,38,45,46,47,49,54] indicated the need of developing coping strategies to improve the management and control of both the situation and the emotional strain, and also to help increase training in caregivers, thus improving their self-efficacy while reducing the emotional impact.”

    From Quality of Life in Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [30]

    The Conclusions (page not provided) report that medical/nursing skills training was associated with reduced burden among cancer caregivers, partly mediated by confidence in providing physical care. The paper mentions coping and problem-solving training as prior work, but it does not establish that developing coping strategies improves control of the situation or reduces emotional strain. Its findings are associations, not proof that training causes those improvements. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • Ten studies did not describe average age.

    “However, it must be highlighted that 10 studies did not describe average age [22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31].”

    From Quality of Life in Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [30]

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [22]Van Ryn M Sanders S Kahn K Objective burden, resources, and other stressors among informal cancer caregivers: A hidden quality issue? Psycho-Oncology 2011 20 44 52 20201115 PMC4479404

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Authors
Mollica, M. A., Litzelman, K., Rowland, J. H., & Kent, E. E.
Affiliations
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • National Cancer Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Mollica, Michelle A.
ORCID
Venue
Cancer
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2017-07-20
Volume
123
Issue
22
Pages
4481-4487
ISSN
  • 0008-543X (ISSN-L)
  • 1097-0142
DOI
10.1002/cncr.30875
PMC
PMC5673528
OpenAlex
W2738442530
Cited by
85
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 3
FWCI
15.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Cancer (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Cancer Institute (U01 CA93324, U01 CA93326, U01 CA93329, U01 CA93332, U01 CA93339, U01 CA93344, U01 CA93348)
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (CRS 02‐164)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Nursing care and research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family Caregiving in Mental Illness
Keywords
caregiver burden, mediation, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, Zarit Burden Interview, caregiver education
MeSH terms
Activities of Daily Living, Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Aged, Burnout, Professional, Clinical Competence, Education, Nursing, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Personal Satisfaction, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Support, Stress, Psychological, Caregivers, Cost of Illness, Young Adult

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