CORRELATION OF BURDEN OF CARE AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH IN FAMILY CAREGIVERs OF CANCER PATIENTS

Background & Aim: Families of patients with cancer during the course of their care of patients suffer from various economic, physical, social, psychological and spiritual challenges that cause their burden of care. Understanding the correlation between care and hope in these families can be effective in establishing a support system to reduce this burden. The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between the burden of care and hope in family caregivers of cancer patients in Iran. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study, 150 family caregivers of cancer patients who were referred to Ayatollah Taleghani, Shohada Tajrish, Messiah Daneshvari and Imam Hossein hospitals in Tehran from August to November 2017 were selected by available sampling method. Data were collected by a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation, Spearman, independent t-test, ANOVA and hierarchical regression analysis at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The mean and standard deviation of hope and burden of care among family caregivers were 25.74 ± 11.72 and 31.74 ± 4.36 respectively. There was a significant relationship between hope and care burden (-0.457). The result of the regression test showed that the hope variable significantly predicted the care burden. Conclusion: Family caregivers during the care of cancer patients are undergone by the burden of care, which is associated with their hope. Therefore, attention to the hope of these caregivers is emphasized.