Factors affecting the disease uncertainty among caregivers of colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy / 预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To investigate the status and influencing factors of disease uncertainty among caregivers of colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, so as to provide insights into psychological interventions among caregivers. @*Methods@#Caregivers of colorectal cancer patients hospitalized in Hunan Cancer Hospital, the Third Xiangya Hospital and the Second Xiangya Hospital for chemotherapy from March 2020 to December 2021 were recruited. Caregivers' demographics, health status, medical and nursing support and social support, as well as patients' demographics, frequency of chemotherapy and disease stage were collected using questionnaire surveys. Caregivers' disease uncertainty was evaluated using Chinese version of the Uncertainty in Illness Scale for Family Members, and factors affecting caregivers' disease uncertainty were identified using a multivariable linear regression model.@*Results@#A total of 318 caregivers were enrolled, including 115 men (36.16%) and 203 women (63.84%), with a mean age of (45.89±6.57) years, and there were 186 caregivers as patients' spouses (58.49%). The mean score of disease uncertainty was (86.65±10.82) points, and the scores of the unpredictability dimension, uncertainty dimension, complexity, and lack of information dimension were (3.21±0.35), (2.98±0.48), (2.84±0.49) and (2.36±0.59) points, respectively. There were 285 participants with a high level of disease uncertainty (89.62%), and multivariable linear regression analysis identified social support (β′=-0.199), medical and nursing support (β′=-0.118), patient's age (β′=-0.155) and stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ of colorectal cancer (β′=0.151) as factors affecting caregiver's disease uncertainty.@*Conclusion@#Caregivers of colorectal cancer patients with chemotherapy have a high level of disease uncertainty, which is affected by social support, medical and nursing support, patient's age and duration of disease.