Manifestations of anxiety and coping strategies in patients with metastatic lung cancer and their family caregivers: a qualitative study

• Published in: Psychology & health Vol. 34; no. 7; pp. 886 - 899
• Main Authors: Hendriksen, Ellen, Rivera, Alexandra, Williams, Emma, Lee, Eric, Sporn, Nora, Cases, Mallory G., Palesh, Oxana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 03.07.2019
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety - psychology; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - psychology; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - secondary; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - therapy; caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Caregivers - statistics & numerical data; coping; Female; Humans; Lung Neoplasms - psychology; Lung Neoplasms - secondary; Lung Neoplasms - therapy; Male; Middle Aged; neoplasms; Patients - psychology; Patients - statistics & numerical data; Qualitative Research; caregivers; Anxiety; qualitative research; neoplasms; coping
• ISSN: 0887-0446; 1476-8321
• DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2019.1579909

Objective: Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is common, deadly, and associated with impairing anxiety for patients and caregivers who often co-experience similar symptoms that can vary together over time. We aimed to discover themes as to how NSCLC patients and caregivers express and cope with anxiety. Design: Semi-structured interviews of patient-caregiver dyads (N = 21), coded using NVivo Software. Main Outcome Measures: Open-ended questions on anxiety mutuality, giving or receiving care, communication, and the most difficult aspects of having or caring for someone with Stage IV NSCLC. Results: Analyses revealed that patients and caregivers were linked psychologically, co-experiencing symptoms of distress or coping, rising and falling together. Shared patient and caregiver themes emerged of cognitive, behavioural and physiological manifestations of anxiety and coping mechanisms. Conclusions: Patient and caregiver expressions of anxiety and coping methods mapped onto the cognitive-behavioural model, implying potential use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to address these issues. This expands understanding of symptoms and coping strategies in NSCLC, explores patient-caregiver interaction, and confirms the need for future clinical intervention. Future research should focus on development and dissemination of CBT-based dyadic interventions addressing anxiety in NSCLC patients and caregivers.