Variation in health literacy among family caregiver communication types
Abstract
Objective Previously, four caregiver types have been identified as a result of communication patterns between patient and caregiver, revealing unique caregiver information needs and preferences. The purpose of this study was to explore variation in health literacy among the four family caregiver communication types: manager, partner, carrier, and lone caregivers. Methods The sample consisted of 115 cancer caregivers. Participants completed the Family Caregiver Communication Tool and the Health Literacy of Caregivers Scale-Cancer. Results A significant difference in health literacy domains was found between caregiver types for cancer-related communication with the care recipient (P = .038) and understanding of the health care system (P = .003). Of the health literacy domains, mean scores were highest on understanding the health care system for both lone and carrier caregivers. Manager and partner caregivers were highest on the social support domain. The self-care domain was lowest for the carrier, lone, and manager caregivers. Conclusions There was a variation across health literacy domains among caregiver communication types, further validating the Family Caregiver Communication Typology. Findings showed a need for educational programs for cancer caregivers to strengthen their health literacy skills. As cancer caregivers have a prominent role in the delivery and quality of cancer care, it is pivotal for health care centers to provide caregiver communication training and suppo…
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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 [26]
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 [26]
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 [26]
One study described that health professionals require cultural awareness in order to properly meet the needs of caregivers.
“One study [26] described that health professionals require cultural awareness in order to properly meet the needs of caregivers.”
From Quality of Life in Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [26]
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Quality of Life in Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Literature Review
Guerra-Martín, M. D., Casado-Espinosa, M. D. R., Gavira-López, Y., Holgado-Castro, C., López-Latorre, I., & Borrallo-Riego, Á. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20021570 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“Moreover, in order to comply with all these needs, health professionals require cultural awareness to understand better the complex requirements of caregivers [26].”
BackgroundInfluential
- Authors
- Wittenberg, E., Goldsmith, J. V., & Kerr, A. M.
- Affiliations
- Department of Communication Studies California State University, Los Angeles Los Angeles California
- University of Memphis (US)
- Ohio University (US)
- Venue
- Psycho-Oncology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-08-30
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 2181-2187
- ISSN
- 1057-9249 (ISSN-L)
- 1099-1611
- OpenAlex
- W2968634094
- Cited by
- 16
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 1.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psycho-Oncology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Nursing care and research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Keywords
- health literacy, family caregivers, cancer caregivers, partner caregivers, social support, self-care
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Educational Status, Family, Female, Health Education, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Social Support, Caregivers, Health Literacy
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