Cited by 30Nursing care and researchCancer survivorship and careFamily Caregiving in Mental Illness

Caregiver burden and associated factors amongst carers of women with advanced breast cancer attending a radiation oncology clinic in Nigeria

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Jite, Ikechi E., Adetunji, Adedotun A., Folasire, Ayorinde M., Akinyemi, Joshua O., Bello, Segun·2021·African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The responsibility of caring for patients with advanced cancer in sub-Saharan Africa is mostly shouldered by family members because of paucity of institutional facilities. There is a growing concern that the number of women needing treatment for advanced breast cancer is rising at an unprecedented rate in Nigeria. AIM: To assess the caregiver burden and its associated factors amongst family caregivers of women with advanced breast cancer. SETTING: The study was conducted at the radiation oncology clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted amongst 157 eligible family caregivers of women with advanced breast cancer. The family caregivers completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire, which included the socio-demographic data, the caregiving process and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Logistic regression was used to identify factors, and ethical approval was obtained. RESULTS: Over half (53%) of the respondents were males with spousal caregivers dominantly constituting 27.4% of all respondents, closely followed by daughters (25.5%) of the care recipients. The mean ZBI score was 29.84 ± 13.9. Most (72%) of the caregivers experienced burden. Factors associated with caregiver burden were previous hospitalisation of the care recipient (odds ratio [OR] = 3.74, confidence interval [CI]: 1.67 to 8.38) and perceived dysfunction in patients activities of daily living (OR = 2.57, CI: 1.14 to 5.78). CONCLUSION: Family caregivers of women with advanced breast cancer experience burden of care. Recognition of this vulnerable population and the care recipient as a dyad is a sine qua non in mitigating the burden associated with their caregiving role.

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  • Caring for advanced cancer patients might have a negative impact on one's health.

    “Studies have shown that caring for advanced cancer patients might have a negative impact on one's health [1, 10, 11].”

    From Preparedness, resilience and unmet needs of informal caregivers of advanced cancer patients in a Regional Mission Hospital in Kenya: Qualitative Study (2023) · cites this paper as [1]

    The Discussion reports caregiver burden and links it to perceived stress from caring for women with advanced breast cancer. The Conclusion likewise describes these caregivers as vulnerable. These passages support a possible negative effect on well-being, but they do not report a measured effect on caregivers’ health. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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  • In other studies, role strain correlates to the number of other competing roles, which in turn is determined by the stage of lifespan that a caregiver was in.

    “In other studies, role strain correlates to the number of other competing roles, which in turn is determined by the stage of lifespan that a caregiver was in [1, 3]”

    From Preparedness, resilience and unmet needs of informal caregivers of advanced cancer patients in a Regional Mission Hospital in Kenya: Qualitative Study (2023) · cites this paper as [1]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) describes caregiving alongside paid employment and adult offspring’s responsibilities to their own families, supporting the idea of competing roles. It does not establish that role strain correlates with the number of competing roles or that this number is determined by a caregiver’s life stage; caregiver age was not significantly associated with perceived burden in this study. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Previous studies show that factors associated with caregiver burden include previous hospitalisation of the care recipient and perceived dysfunction in patients' activities of daily living.

    “Previous studies show that factors associated with caregiver burden include previous hospitalisation of the care recipient and perceived dysfunction in patients’ activities of daily living [1].”
  • Prior studies have reported that patient hospitalizations are associated with high caregiver burden.

    “Así mismo, se ha asociado con altos niveles de sobrecarga en el cuidador el hecho de que el paciente presente disfunción en las actividades de la vida diaria (12), hospitalizaciones (12) o experimente síntomas desagradables por la enfermedad (16).”
  • Prior studies have reported that patient dysfunction in activities of daily living is associated with high caregiver burden.

    “Así mismo, se ha asociado con altos niveles de sobrecarga en el cuidador el hecho de que el paciente presente disfunción en las actividades de la vida diaria (12), hospitalizaciones (12) o experimente síntomas desagradables por la enfermedad (16).”

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References 38 · Cited by 30

Research works printed but not linked: 37

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Authors
Jite, I. E., Adetunji, A. A., Folasire, A. M., Akinyemi, J. O., & Bello, S.
Affiliations
  • University College Hospital, Ibadan (NG)
  • University of Ibadan (NG)
Corresponding author
Jite, Ikechi E.
Venue
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine
Publisher
AOSIS
Published
2021-06-15
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
e1-e8
ISSN
  • 2071-2928 (ISSN-L)
  • 2071-2936
OpenAlex
W3166905418
Cited by
30
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 9
FWCI
7.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
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, family caregivers, advanced breast cancer, spousal caregivers, Zarit Burden Interview, activities of daily living, Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa
MeSH terms
Caregiver Burden, Activities of Daily Living, Adult, Aged, Breast Neoplasms, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, Nigeria, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Severity of Illness Index, Caregivers, Cost of Illness, Radiation Oncology

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