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Cited by 46Cancer survivorship and carePalliative Care and End-of-Life IssuesNursing care and research

Delivering problem-solving therapy to family caregivers of people with cancer: A feasibility study in outpatient palliative care

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Washington, Karla T., Demiris, George, Parker Oliver, Debra, Albright, David L., Craig, Kevin W., Tatum, Paul·2018·Psycho-Oncology
DOI 10.1002/pon.4859PMC PMC6173651
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Abstract

Objective: In response to the well‐documented need for evidence‐based cancer caregiver support, we examined the feasibility of problem‐solving therapy for family caregivers of cancer patients receiving outpatient palliative care and investigated the impact of problem‐solving therapy on family caregivers' anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Methods: We conducted a feasibility study of a structured problem‐solving therapy intervention delivered to family caregivers of cancer patients receiving outpatient palliative care from an academic health center in the Midwestern United States. Participants (N = 83) were randomly assigned to receive usual care or usual care plus a problem‐solving therapy intervention, which was delivered over three sessions via web‐based videoconferencing or telephone. Descriptive statistics were used to determine feasibility relative to recruitment, retention, and fidelity to core intervention components. Outcome data were analyzed using ordinary least squares multiple regression. Results: Problem‐solving therapy for family caregivers of patients with cancer was found to be highly feasible in the outpatient palliative care setting. Caregivers who received problem‐solving therapy reported less anxiety than those who received only usual care (P = 0.03). No statistically significant differences were observed for caregiver depression (P = 0.07) or quality of life (P = 0.06). Conclusions: Problem‐solving therapy is a feasible and promising approach to reducing cancer family caregivers' anxiety in the outpatient palliative care setting. Further testing in multiple sites is recommended.

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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 [38]

    The Background describes problem-solving therapy as a way to improve coping and lessen distress, while Methods > Study Arms describes caregivers learning techniques to address caregiving stressors. The Results report reduced anxiety, but the paper does not report improved caregiver self-efficacy or establish a broader reduction in emotional impact; depression and quality-of-life differences were not statistically significant. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 21

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Authors
Washington, K. T., Demiris, G., Parker Oliver, D., Albright, D. L., Craig, K. W., & Tatum, P.
Affiliations
  • University of Missouri (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • Department of Family and Community Medicine University of Missouri Columbia Missouri
  • University of Alabama (US)
Corresponding author
Washington, Karla T.
ORCID
Venue
Psycho-Oncology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2018-08-31
Volume
27
Issue
10
Pages
2494-2499
ISSN
  • 1057-9249 (ISSN-L)
  • 1099-1611
DOI
10.1002/pon.4859
PMC
PMC6173651
OpenAlex
W2887319205
Cited by
46
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2019: 6
FWCI
1.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Psycho-Oncology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Cancer Institute (R21CA191165)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Nursing care and research
Keywords
problem-solving therapy, family caregivers, cancer caregivers, outpatient palliative care, caregiver anxiety, caregiver depression, quality of life, feasibility, videoconferencing, telephone-delivered intervention, caregiver support
MeSH terms
Ambulatory Care, Family, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Palliative Care, Problem Solving, Quality of Life, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Single-Blind Method, Caregivers

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