Social support provided by and strain experienced by African-American cancer caregivers

• Published in: Supportive care in cancer Vol. 21; no. 10; pp. 2719 - 2725
• Main Authors: Cooper, Dexter L., Powe, Barbara D., Smith, Tenbroeck
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans; African Americans - psychology; Cancer; Care and treatment; Caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Content analysis; Dementia; Emotions; Female; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - ethnology; Neoplasms - psychology; Neoplasms - therapy; Nursing; Nursing Research; Occupational stress; Oncology; Original Article; Pain Medicine; Rehabilitation Medicine; Social networks; Social Support; Spirituality; United States; United States; African-American; Cancer caregivers; Social support; Strain
• ISSN: 0941-4355; 1433-7339
• DOI: 10.1007/s00520-013-1849-9

Background Cancer is the second most common condition among people over 50, behind only dementia, associated with caregiving. As treatments improve, the number of cancer caregivers will increase. However, there is limited research about African-American cancer caregivers (AACCs). Purpose The purpose of this mixed methods study is to describe (1) the types of social support provided by and (2) the levels of strain reported by AACCs. Methods Cancer patients from a regional safety net hospital nominated family caregivers who helped them after their cancer diagnosis. Consented caregivers were interviewed in the waiting room while the patient received treatment or later by phone using the Modified Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI), five structured interview questions, and demographic questions—20 min. Responses to the interview questions were processed using Miles and Huberman’s content analysis guide. Descriptive statistics for demographics and the MCSI were performed using SPSS. Results Of the 45 AACCs, 64 % had medical conditions. Caregivers reported patients’ pain (31 %), stress (9 %), and nausea (7 %) as the most common symptoms. AACCs most commonly provided instrumental (67 %) or emotional (42 %) support; spiritual (20 %) and informational (20 %) support were less common. Conclusion Emphasis is needed in providing care assistance information to the AACCs to ensure effective support for their loved ones. This study highlights areas of support where assistance can be useful among AACCs.