Spiritual Well-Being and Care Burden in Caregivers of Patients with Breast Cancer in Turkey

Effects of Spiritual Well-Being on Caregiver Burden of Parents of Children with Tracheostomy in Türkiye: The Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience

This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of psychological resilience in examining the effects of spiritual well-being on the caregiver burden of parents of children with tracheostomy. This descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted with 109 parents of children with tracheostomy. The three-factor spiritual well-being scale, the caregiver burden scale for family caregivers, and the brief resilience scale were used for data collection. The study adhered to the strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology guidelines. Descriptive statistics, t tests, variance analysis, and relationship analysis were used in the data analysis. A significant, negative, and moderate relationship exists between the caregiver burden and the brief resilience scale (p < 0.05). There is a negative relationship between the anomie sub-dimension of the spiritual well-being scale and caregiver burden, and a positive and moderate relationship with resilience (p < 0.05). Psychological resilience affects caregiver burden via the anomie subscale. Programs can be developed to alleviate the caregiving burden and enhance the spiritual well-being of parents with children who have tracheostomies, taking into account the importance of psychological resilience.

Exploring the role of perceived social support, and spiritual well-being in predicting the family Caregiving burden among the parents of disabled children

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Caregiver burden encompasses the physical, emotional, financial, and social challenges faced by individuals caring for a sick or disabled person. Spiritual well-being and social support have been identified as protective factors against psychological and physical issues, potentially alleviating caregiver burden. This study aims to explore the relationship between spiritual well-being, perceived social support, and caregiver burden among parents of children with disabilities.

METHOD

A descriptive-analytical study was conducted with 260 family caregivers, selected through systematic random sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Novak and Gaug Caregiving Burden Scale, the Paloutzian-Ellison Spiritual Well-being Scale, and the Zimet Social Support Questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 22, with significance set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

Among the caregivers, 148 (61.4%) reported a high level of caregiving burden, while 81% indicated moderate spiritual well-being and 14.5% reported high spiritual well-being. A significant negative correlation was found between spiritual well-being, social support, and caregiving burden (p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that spiritual well-being (β = -0.41) and social support (β = -0.33) were the most significant predictors of caregiving burden. Additional significant predictors included social activities, underlying health conditions, age, caregiving duration, insurance coverage, and marital status (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The high caregiving burden observed in this population, along with the inverse relationship between social support, spiritual well-being, and caregiving burden, underscores the need for strategies to enhance social support and spiritual well-being. These factors may serve as cost-effective, accessible interventions to alleviate caregiving burden.

Exploring Influence of Spiritual Well-being on Caregiver Burden in Head-and-Neck Malignancy: A Cross-sectional Study

Objectives

Taking care of a patient with head-and-neck malignancy (HNM) entails enormous physical, emotional, cognitive and moral challenges. Caregivers frequently turn to spiritual practices such as prayer, offering and meditation to enhance inner strength and coping ability. Assessment of caregiver burden (CGB) would remain incomplete without considering spiritual well-being (SWB). We set out to assess CGB and SWB in caregivers of patients suffering from HNMs.

Materials and Methods

This cross-sectional study was carried out in a medical college-associated tertiary care centre after approval from the institutional ethics committee. CGB was determined using a translated version of Zarit Burden interview 22. SWB was determined by the spiritual wellbeing scale (SWBS), which was translated into Gujarati and validated. Relevant demographic data were also collected and analysed.

Results

(1) Patient characteristics: (i) Number of participants: 60 (37 males and 23 females). Mean age: 55.56 years, (ii) Mean time since diagnosis: 7.33 months, (iii) Type of malignancy: Buccal mucosae 31, tongue 12, hard palate 7, lip 4, others 6, (iv) Type of family: Nuclear 14, joint 46. Locale: Rural: 36, urban: 24. (2) Caregiver characteristics: (i) Mean age: 44 years, (ii) Educational status: Graduate and above: 19, undergraduate: 22, primary education: 19, (iii) Occupation: Home-makers: 13, skilled: 18, semi-skilled: 18, others: 6. (3) CGB scores: Mean: 35.30 (Standard deviation [SD] = 11.25). Mild, moderate and high burden were reported by 66.7%, 25% and 3.3% caregivers, respectively. 5% of caregivers reported no burden. (4) SWB score: Mean: 81.70 (SD = 14.84). Low, moderate and high SWB scores were observed in 1.7%, 93.3% and 5%, respectively. (5) There was a significant correlation between higher SWB and lower CGB scores at 0.01 level.

Conclusion

Moderate/high SWB was observed in 95% of caregivers regardless of their educational, social and family backgrounds. There was a significant correlation between higher SWB and lower CGB scores.

The impact of religious spiritual care training on the spiritual health and care burden of elderly family caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a field trial study

BACKGROUND

Family caregiving is associated with many physical and psychological problems for caregivers, but the effect of spiritual support on reducing their issues during a crisis is also the subject of research. The study aims to examine the impact of religious spiritual care training on the spiritual health and care burdens of elderly family caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

The randomized controlled field trial involved 80 Iranian family caregivers in Bushehr City, who were selected by convenience sampling based on the inclusion criteria and divided into experimental (40 people) and control (40 people) groups by simple random sampling in 2021 and 2022. Data collection was conducted using spiritual health and care burden questionnaires using the Porsline software. The virtual intervention included spiritual and religious education. Four virtual sessions were held offline over two weeks. The first session was to get to know the participants and explain the purpose, The second session focused on the burden of care, the third on empowerment, and the fourth on mental health and related issues. In the control group, daily life continued as usual during the study.

RESULTS

Mean changes in existential health (3.40 ± 6.25) and total spiritual health (5.05 ± 11.12) increased in the intervention group and decreased in the control group. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups for existential health (t = 3.78, p = 0.001) and spiritual health (t = 3.13, p = 0.002). Cohen's d-effect sizes for spiritual health and caregiving burden were 0.415 and 0.366, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in mean changes in religious health (p = 0.067) or caregiving burden (p = 0.638) between the two intervention and control groups.

CONCLUSION

Given that the religious-spiritual intervention had a positive effect on existential health and no impact on religious health or care burden, it is recommended that comprehensive planning be undertaken to improve the spiritual health of family caregivers to enable them to better cope with critical situations such as a COVID-19 pandemic.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

IRCT code number IRCT20150529022466N16 and trial ID number 48,021. (Registration Date2020/06/28).

Care burden and the predictive role of spiritual well-being and religious coping: A cross sectional study among Iranian family caregivers of patients with stroke

Background and Aims

The burden of care after a stroke is gaining recognition as a significant healthcare issue. Factors like religion and spirituality, encompassing religious coping and spiritual health, prove to be influential in anticipating the challenges faced by caregivers. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between care burden, spiritual health, and religious coping among caregivers of stroke patients.

Methods

This cross-sectional research was conducted with the participation of 129 caregivers of stroke patients. The data was collected using the Ellison and Paloutzian spiritual well-being instruments, Pargament Religious Coping (RCOPE) brief version, and the Zarit burden interview (ZBI). Through a census, participants were recruited for the investigation. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (multivariate linear regression analysis).

Results

The study results indicate a strong and statistically significant relationship between the burden of caring and spiritual health (p < 0.001, β = 0.33). Furthermore, specific variables were identified as indicators of an increased burden of care, including positive religious coping (p = 0.04, β = 0.63), the familial relationship between the caregiver and patient, specifically as a child (p = 0.001, β = 29.26), and a sister (p < 0.001, β = 35.93).

Conclusion

It is advisable to consider adopting and implementing appropriate support measures for coping strategies rooted in religion and spirituality. So, it is recommended to enhance the provision of comprehensive support, including psychological and religious interventions. This can be achieved through the collaborative efforts of support groups comprising psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and religious experts.

Developing a conceptual model for understanding caregiving experience and their impacts on quality of life for Chinese breast cancer family caregivers: A qualitative study

AIM

The purpose of this study was to understand the caregiving experiences of breast cancer family caregivers and explore the profound impacts of those experiences on their quality of life.

DESIGN

A qualitative research method was used.

METHODS

We extended invitations to 23 family caregivers of outpatients and inpatients receiving breast surgery and oncology treatments in Taiyuan, China, to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the interview data.

RESULTS

Four themes and associated categories were identified: (1) changes in family dynamics, (2) the socio-medical context, (3) interactions between family and society, (4) self-efficacy and nine subthemes and their related categories, where virtually all participants expressed future uncertainty, emotional contagion, and personal challenges, and self-efficacy had a moderating influence on the first three themes.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This study did not involve direct participation of patients or the public. However, their experiences and perspectives on caregiving were indirectly reflected through the insights provided by the family caregivers who participated in the interviews. Their valuable input contributed to a deeper understanding of the caregiving experience and its impact on the quality of life for Chinese breast cancer family caregivers.

The Effect of Spiritual Orientations and Religious Attitudes on Coping with the Difficulties Encountered by Family Caregivers of People with Parkinson's Disease in Türkiye

This study aimed to determine the effect of spiritual orientations and religious attitudes on coping with the difficulties of family caregivers of people with Parkinson's disease. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 113 family caregivers of people with Parkinson's disease who came to be examined in the Neurology outpatient clinic of a Training and Research Hospital in Türkiye between July and September 2023. Data were obtained using a Patient and Family Caregivers Information Form, the Spiritual Orientation Scale (SOS), and the Ok-Religious Attitude Scale (Islam) (ORASI). The mean age of the family caregivers was 55.6 ± 14.2, the SOS total mean score was 89.1 ± 16.2, and the ORASI total score mean was 34.4 ± 4.0. It was determined that 61.1% of the caregivers experienced changes psychologically, 57.5% in their social life, 58.4% in their home life, and 57.5% in their family relationships. A statistically significant relationship was detected between the ORASI of family caregivers who experienced financial and physical distress and the SOS of those who experienced physical and psychological distress (p < 0.05). It was determined that family caregivers of people with Parkinson's disease were affected in many areas physically, socially, and psychologically and that their spiritual orientation and religious attitudes were effective in coping with the problems experienced. Training and support programs are recommended for nurses to develop positive religious attitudes, increase their spiritual orientation and reduce the care burden, taking into account the beliefs and values of family caregivers.