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Distressed Partners and Caregivers Do Not Recover Easily: Adjustment Trajectories Among Partners and Caregivers of Cancer Survivors

  • Original Article
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Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Although a number of cross-sectional studies document the distress experienced by partners and caregivers of cancer survivors, few have considered their potential differential patterns of adjustment over time.

Purpose

Identify distinct trajectories of anxiety and depression among partners and caregivers of cancer survivors and predictors of these trajectories.

Methods

Participants completed a survey to examine the impact of caring for, or living with, a cancer survivor at 6, 12, and 24 months post-survivor diagnosis. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (N anxiety = 510; N depression = 511).

Results

Anxiety trajectories included: no anxiety (15.1% scored <3; 37.8% scored 3–5); chronic, borderline anxiety (33.2%); and chronic, clinical anxiety (13.9%). The depression trajectories were: no depression (38.9% scored <2; 31.5% scored around 3); a sustained score of 7 (25.5%); and chronic, clinical depression (4.1%). Variables associated with the trajectories included most of the psychosocial variables.

Conclusions

Findings highlight that most caregivers maintained their baseline level of distress, which is particularly concerning for participants reporting chronic anxiety or depression.

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Acknowledgment

The Partners and Caregivers Study was supported by the Cancer Council NSW and received infrastructure support from the Honda Foundation and Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI). Also, Dr. Lambert is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Research Fellowship (APP1012869) and Prof. Girgis by a Cancer Institute New South Wales Grant. Our sincere thanks go to the caregivers who provided the survey data. We are also grateful to Sandra Dowley, Fiona Stacey, Raelene Monahan, and Alexander Cameron for their support of the Partners and Caregivers Study.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational Cancer Research Unit, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, South Western Sydney Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Locked Bag 7103, Liverpool BC, NSW, 1871, Australia

    Sylvie D. Lambert Ph.D. & Afaf Girgis Ph.D.

  2. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania, USA

    Bobby L. Jones Ph.D.

  3. Hunter New England Population Health, Newcastle, Australia

    Christophe Lecathelinais DESS de Mathématiques Appliquées

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  1. Sylvie D. Lambert Ph.D.
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  2. Bobby L. Jones Ph.D.
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  3. Afaf Girgis Ph.D.
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  4. Christophe Lecathelinais DESS de Mathématiques Appliquées
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Correspondence to Sylvie D. Lambert Ph.D..

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Lambert, S.D., Jones, B.L., Girgis, A. et al. Distressed Partners and Caregivers Do Not Recover Easily: Adjustment Trajectories Among Partners and Caregivers of Cancer Survivors. ann. behav. med. 44, 225–235 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-012-9385-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-012-9385-2

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