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Cited by 5Nursing care and researchFamily Support in IllnessChildhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life

Síndrome de sobrecarga y estrategias de afrontamiento en cuidadores principales de pacientes oncológicos pediátricos

Open access
Reyna-García, Paola Daniela, Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás, Rojas-Jara, Claudio·2021·Psicooncología
DOI 10.5209/psic.77753
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Abstract

Objective: Pediatric cancer caregivers will encounter circumstances that will challenge their personal resources to face the diverse demands of care. Therefore, the objective of the study was to determine the relationship between burden syndrome and coping strategies in caregivers of pediatric cancer patients. Method: 93 main caregivers of pediatric cancer patients participated (69.9% women, 30.1% men, mean age = 37.20 years, SD = 11.32), selected in a non-probabilistic way. The Caregiver Burden Scale and the COPE-28 Questionnaire were applied. Correlational and comparative statistics were used for data analysis. Results: The results indicate the presence of significant and inverse correlations that vary between r = -.25 and r = -.56. However, no significant association was found between the dimensions of caregiver burden and substance use. On the other hand, those caregivers who use poorly adaptive strategies are more likely to generate overload in relation to their role, influencing their personal, family and social life. Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between overload syndrome and coping strategies. In addition, significant differences in overload are identified according to the place of origin and the hours dedicated to care.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

In 93 primary caregivers of pediatric oncology patients in Peru, greater caregiver burden was associated with less use of adaptive coping strategies and more use of maladaptive strategies, with no significant link to substance use. Burden was higher among caregivers from outside Lima and among those dedicating more hours to care.

Key findings

Mean caregiver burden score was 71.87 (SD 12.78), in the severe burden range; 69.9% of caregivers were women, mean age 37.20 years (SD 11.32).

  • Burden showed significant inverse correlations with active coping (r = -.50), planning (-.44), emotional support (-.52), social support (-.56), positive reappraisal (-.59), acceptance (-.38), and self-distraction (-.25); the abstract reports inverse correlations ranging from r = -.25 to -.56. Burden showed positive associations with denial (r = .72), disconnection (.69), self-blame (.59), humor (.38), and religion (.21). No significant association was found with substance use (r = -.08, p = .43).
  • Province caregivers had higher burden dimension scores than Lima caregivers (50.77 vs 37.18; t = -9.72, p = .00) and used more denial, humor, self-blame, disconnection, and substance use; Lima caregivers used more active coping, planning, emotional/social support, and positive reappraisal.
  • Burden increased with caregiving hours: 7–12 hours mean 66.38, 13–23 hours 68.76, 24 hours 75.28 (F = 4.67, p = .01).

Methods

Correlational/comparative survey of 93 main caregivers of pediatric oncology patients (69.9% women, 30.1% men; mean age 37.20, SD 11.32), selected non-probabilistically/intentionally; 43% from Lima and 57% from province.

  • Instruments: sociodemographic form, Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (22 items; Spanish adaptation), and COPE-28 (28 items, 14 coping strategies); a pilot was conducted with 20 caregivers.
  • Analysis: descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, t tests for two-group comparisons, ANOVA for more than two groups, using SPSS 25.

Limitations

Stated: access to the population was difficult because approvals from centers, shelters, and hospitals were required; the sample was not homogeneous by sex, so future studies should use homogeneous caregiver samples for comparative analyses.

  • Evident from the text: non-probabilistic sampling (intentional sampling; snowball for Lima caregivers) and N = 93 limit generalizability; self-report instruments and the correlational design cannot establish causal direction.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.5209/psic.77753

Cites

34 of 34 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

0 of 10 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingown data

    No significant association was found between the dimensions of caregiver burden and substance use.

    “Sin embargo, no se evidenció una asociación significativa entre las dimensiones de la sobrecarga del cuidador y el uso de sustancias.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingreasoning

    Los cuidadores que residen en Lima emplean con mayor frecuencia estrategias de afrontamiento más adaptativas que los cuidadores de provincia.

    “se ha identificado que las estrategias más adaptativas, son empleadas con mayor frecuencia por aquellos cuidadores que residen en Lima.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data

    Los cuidadores que viven en Lima tienen un nivel mayor de instrucción que los cuidadores que provienen de provincia.

    “se encontró que los cuidadores que viven el Lima, cuentan con un nivel mayor de instrucción que los cuidadores que provienen de provincia.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingreasoning

    Los cuidadores que provienen de provincia se encontraban residiendo en un albergue al momento de la aplicación.

    “estos cuidadores que vienen de provincia, se encontraban residiendo en un albergue al momento de la aplicación.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingown data

    El nivel de sobrecarga aumenta en función del incremento de las horas dedicadas al cuidado del menor.

    “se observa un aumento en el nivel de sobrecarga en función al incremento en las horas dedicadas al cuidado del menor (ver Tabla 4).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims. 11
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 6

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The burden dimension showed significant direct associations with religion, denial, humor, disconnection, self-blame, and venting; using these strategies was related to greater burden.

    “la sobrecarga mostró asociaciones significativas y directas con las estrategias de religión, negación, humor, desconexión, autoinculpación y desahogo.”
    • Also stated in: § 3. Resultados · plain
      “Es decir, utilizar estas estrategias se relacionan con una mayor sobrecarga.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    In the sample of primary caregivers of pediatric oncology patients, the mean burden syndrome score was 71.87, corresponding to a severe burden level.

    “El síndrome de sobrecarga tiene una media de 71,87 que implica un nivel de carga severa.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The burden dimension showed significant inverse associations with active coping, planning, emotional support, social support, positive reappraisal, acceptance, and self-distraction.

    “sobrecarga obtuvo asociaciones significativas e inversas con las estrategias afrontamiento activo, planificación, apoyo emocional, apoyo social, reevaluación positiva, aceptación y autodistracción.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Caregivers from the province had a higher burden level than caregivers from Lima, with a statistically significant difference at the general burden level and in the burden dimension.

    “los cuidadores provenientes de provincia cuentan con un mayor nivel de sobrecarga a comparación de los cuidadores provenientes de Lima.”
    • Also stated in: § 3. Resultados · plain
      “tanto a nivel general de sobrecarga como la dimensión sobrecarga cuentan con una diferencia estadísticamente significativa”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Lima caregivers showed greater predominance of active coping, planning, emotional support, social support, and positive reappraisal than province caregivers.

    “Se identifica que existe mayor predominancia de estrategias como afrontamiento activo, planificación, apoyo emocional, apoyo social y reevaluación positiva en cuidadores limeños.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The competence dimension had statistically significant correlations with all coping strategies except self-distraction and venting, and significant direct associations with denial, humor, disconnection, religion, and self-blame.

    “Con respecto a la dimensión competencia se obtuvieron correlaciones estadísticamente significativas con todas las estrategias de afrontamiento menos con la autodistracción y el desahogo.”
    • Also stated in: § 3. Resultados · plain
      “Por otro lado, se obtuvieron asociaciones significativas y directas con las estrategias de negación, humor, desconexión, religión y autoinculpación.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    La religión puede tener un papel fundamental en el equilibrio emocional, la aceptación de la enfermedad y su tratamiento en cuidadores.

    “En algunas investigaciones (32,33) se evidenció que, ante la situación de enfermedad, la religión puede tener un papel fundamental en la vida de los cuidadores, tanto en el equilibrio emocional, la aceptación de la enfermedad y su tratamiento.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [32]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites [33]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Los cuidadores de Lima tendrían mayor apertura a las estrategias adaptativas porque se encuentran en su lugar de origen, rodeados de familiares y amigos que los acompañan.

    “En este sentido, estos cuidadores tendrían mayor apertura a estas estrategias ya que se encuentran en su lugar de origen, rodeados de familiares y amigos, los cuales los acompañan en este proceso.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    In caregivers of people with dementia, a relationship has been recognized between coping and burden.

    “En una investigación realizada con una población de cuidadores de personas con demencia se reconoció que existe relación entre el afrontamiento y la sobrecarga.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [16]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    In dementia caregivers, using active coping, planning, and acceptance allows better control of physical, psychological, and socioeconomic demands and therefore a lower burden level.

    “utilizar estrategias de afrontamiento activo, planificación y aceptación permite que el cuidador tenga un mejor control de las demandas tanto físicas, psicológicas y socioeconómicas y, por tanto, menor nivel de sobrecarga.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [9]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Los cuidadores que utilizan estrategias más adaptativas mantienen su bienestar psicológico y logran una buena adaptación a las diferentes situaciones de la enfermedad.

    “aquellos cuidadores que utilizan estrategias más adaptativas, van a mantener su bienestar psicológico y permitirá una buena adaptación a las diferentes situaciones de la enfermedad.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    Los cuidadores que utilizan estrategias poco adaptativas son más propensos a generar sobrecarga frente a su rol, lo que influye en su vida personal, familiar y social.

    “aquellos cuidadores que utilizan estrategias poco adaptativas, son más propensos a generar sobrecarga frente a su rol, influyendo en su vida personal, familiar y social.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Active coping strategies used to face a stressful situation favor emotional regulation, problem solving, social integration, and personal development.

    “las estrategias activas utilizadas para enfrentar la situación estresante, favorecen a la regulación emocional, la resolución de problemas, la integración social y el desarrollo personal.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [22]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductown data

    El acceso a la población fue difícil porque se requería la aprobación de centros, albergues y hospitales.

    “se presentó un difícil acceso a la población, ya que se requiere la aprobación de centros, albergues y hospitales para llegar a esta.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    In this study, the Zarit Burden Scale showed adequate internal consistency for the total scale and for the burden, competence, and dependence dimensions.

    “En este estudio, se obtuvieron índices de confiabilidad adecuados, tanto para la escala total (alfa de Cronbach = ,92) y las dimensiones de sobrecarga (alfa de Cronbach = ,90), competencia (alfa de Cronbach = ,73) y dependencia (alfa de Cronbach = ,82).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
15 of 15

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    No line of research has been developed on the relationship between burden and coping in caregivers of children with cancer.

    “Sin embargo, no se ha desarrollado una línea de investigación de estas dos variables en cuidadores de niños/as con cáncer.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The non-probabilistic sample of 93 primary caregivers is representative enough to generalise the observed relationships to primary caregivers of pediatric oncology patients.

    “Participaron 93 cuidadores principales de pacientes oncológicos pediátricos (69,9% mujeres, 30,1% varones, edad promedio =37,20 años, DE=11,32), seleccionados de forma no probabilística.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Los recursos médicos para el tratamiento del cáncer están centralizados en Lima, por lo que los cuidadores de provincia deben trasladarse y alejarse de su núcleo familiar.

    “debido a la centralización de los recursos médicos para el tratamiento del cáncer en Lima, el cuidador principal que vive en provincia, debe alejarse de su núcleo familiar y salir de su lugar de residencia para viajar y buscar alternativas de intervención y tratamiento.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Los cuidadores de provincia no cuentan con recursos económicos para solventar el tratamiento del niño/a.

    “Asimismo, estos cuidadores no cuentan con los recursos económicos para solventar el tratamiento del niño/a.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    La etapa del desarrollo de los pacientes oncológicos pediátricos influye en que los cuidadores les brinden atención y cuidados la mayor parte del día.

    “la etapa del desarrollo en la que se encuentran los pacientes oncológicos pediátricos, influye para que los cuidadores que los acompañen, brinden atención y cuidados la mayor parte del día.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Una enfermedad como el cáncer requiere un cuidado más riguroso y estricto, lo que vuelve el rol del cuidador más estresante.

    “Una enfermedad como el cáncer, va a requerir un cuidado más riguroso y estricto, volviéndose un rol más estresante para el cuidador.”
6 of 6

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Not all burden dimensions correlate significantly with nearly every coping strategy

    Minor

    The statement says the three dimensions correlate significantly with every strategy except substance use. Table 2 shows nonsignificant results for autodistracción with competencia (p = .13) and dependencia (p = .15).

  • Substance-use mean is lower, not higher, for caregivers from provinces

    Minor

    The text says substance use predominates more among caregivers from provinces. Table 3 reports a mean of 2.91 for provincia versus 3 for Lima.

  • Autodistracción does not have the lowest mean

    Minor

    Table 1 gives autodistracción a mean of 4.14 and humor a lower mean of 1.40.

  • The reported range of inverse correlations omits −0.59

    Minor

    The abstract gives −0.56 as the strongest inverse correlation, but Table 2 reports a significant correlation of −0.59 for reevaluación positiva.

  • Table 4 significance values conflict with its F statistics

    Minor

    These rows compare the same three care-hour groups, so the larger F statistic must have the smaller p-value. Table 4 instead pairs F = 3.38 with .39 and F = 2.31 with .11.

  • Dependencia is also nonsignificantly correlated with substance use

    Minor

    The text names only autodistracción and religión as exceptions, but Table 2 gives p = .67 for dependencia and uso de sustancias.

  • Desahogo is described as directly correlated with sobrecarga, but its correlation is negative

    Minor

    The text classifies the association with desahogo as direct; Table 2 reports r = −0.33 for sobrecarga and desahogo.

7 of 7

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 35 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Flores G, Arcos M. Afrontamiento y sobrecarga subjetiva de cuidadores de pacientes con diagnóstico de demencia. Rev Psicol (Arequipa, Univ. Catól. San Pablo) 2014; 1: 41-48.
  2. Ruiz-Robledillo N, Moya-Albiol L. El cuidado informal: una visión actual. REME 2012; 3(1): 22-30.
  3. Sandín B. El estrés: un análisis basado en el papel de los factores sociales. Rev Int Psicol Clin y Salud. 2003; 3: 22-30.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Reyna-García, P. D., Caycho-Rodríguez, T., & Rojas-Jara, C.
Affiliations
  • Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (PE)
  • Universidad Privada del Norte
  • Catholic University of the Maule (CL)
ORCID
Rojas-Jara, Claudio
Venue
Psicooncología
Publisher
Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Published
2021-09-02
Volume
18
Issue
2
Pages
245-259
ISSN
  • 1696-7240 (ISSN-L)
  • 1988-8287
DOI
10.5209/psic.77753
OpenAlex
W3208284926
Semantic Scholar
dc092e7eb871846529eb2a6cecd4bb634684f376
Cited by
5
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1
FWCI
1.47
Type
journal article
Language
es
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Psicooncología (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Nursing care and research
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Family Support in Illness
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life
Keywords
caregiver burden, coping strategies, childhood cancer, family caregivers, substance use, role overload, Caregiver Burden Scale, country of origin

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