The Burden of Care and its Correlations in Family Caregivers of Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy in Sari, Iran, in 2020

Abstract

Caring for patients with cancer can often give rise to numerous physical and mental health problems or even exacerbate them among family caregivers. The present study aimed to reflect on the burden of care and its correlates affecting family caregivers of breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing chemotherapy. This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study of correlational type was conducted on 163 family caregivers of patients with BC undergoing chemotherapy at Imam Khomeini Teaching Hospital and Baghban Specialized Center based in the city of Sari, Iran, in 2020. For this purpose, the study samples were selected through the convenience sampling technique. The demographic characteristics information form and the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) was employed for data collection. The data were ultimately analyzed using the SPSS (ver. 21). The study results revealed that 72 family caregivers (44.17%) were experiencing high levels of the burden of care (>36). Moreover, caregivers' income level, number of chemotherapy sessions, disease duration, and patients' insurance coverage status were significantly correlated with caregiver burden, which was evaluated in the multiple logistic regression analysis. This model could explain 25.2% of the burden of care severity variance in these informal caregivers (p<0.001, Chi-square statistic=33.9). The multiple logistic regression analysis was also utilized to determine the most important dimensions of the burden of care. This model could account for 94.8% of variance in the burden of care severity among these family caregivers, developmental, social, physical. Time dependence dimensions respectively had the greatest impacts on compounding caregiver burden. The study results indicated high levels of the burden of care in family caregivers of patients suffering from BC. Therefore, it was recommended to consider the burden of care correlates and plan for proper interventions, according to the findings in the present study, in further research.