Burden and Quality of Life in Prostate Cancer Caregivers
Abstract
Objective: Caregivers of patients with metastatic prostate cancer often face physical and emotional strain. Guided by the Informal Caregiving Integrative Model (ICIM), this study aimed to identify factors predicting reported caregiving burden and its impact on quality of life (QoL) among Thai caregivers.
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study involved 116 caregivers at a Thai university hospital. Data were collected via interviewer-administered questionnaires, including the Zarit Burden Interview and the WHOQOL-BREF. Analysis included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, and logistic regression.
Results: Caregivers reported a low average burden score (median = 3.00, IQR = 13.00) and a high level of QoL (mean = 99.35, SD = 9.13). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that caregiver health status, patient symptom intensity, and illness duration were significant determinants of caregiving burden (p < 0.05), with a high predictive accuracy of 88.8%. The model also identified caregiver education level, patient illness duration, and reported caregiving burden as significant predictors of QoL, achieving a predictive accuracy of 81.9%.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that caregiver characteristics and clinical factors influence reported burden and QoL. In the Thai context, family support and cultural values likely mitigate perceived strain. Careful interpretation of these reported scores is recommended due to the potential social desirability bias. Healthcare providers should prioritize caregiver health and provide disease-specific guidance to sustain high QoL for both caregivers and patients.
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