BRIEF COMMUNICATION Comprehensive psychosocial care of cancer patients: Screening for distress in family members

oleh: Anita Mehta, Marc Hamel

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Pappin Communications 2015-07-01

Deskripsi

<p class="p1"><em>Family members have multiple roles when caring for someone diagnosed with cancer. The burden associated with these roles can result in family members experiencing elevated levels of emotional distress including depression, anxiety, and physical complaints. For comprehensive psychosocial care to be all inclusive, the well-being and distress levels of family members must also be addressed. To date, little is known about the specific sources of distress for family members. </em></p><p class="p2"><em>The purpose of this research study was to fill this gap. Specifically, the researchers developed a unique screening tool to identify sources contributing to family members’ emotional distress. The study was conducted in three phases: 1) a comprehensive literature review was done to elicit a first set of items, 2) two separate focus groups of health care professionals and family members were held to obtain their feedback on possible items that would comprise the tool and, 3) a sample of family members was invited to speak to the relevancy of the proposed items. Results from these analyses led to a tool comprising 46 items. Family member responses on these items suggested that they are often confronted with unique sources of distress including those related to self-care, patient care, and relational.</em></p>