Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Clinical Trial on Mindfulness with Family Caregivers for Patients with Cancer

  • Published:
Journal of Cancer Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To examine the effectiveness of a brief mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and educational interventions (EI) on self-efficacy and burden among family caregivers (FCs) of patients with cancer in Jordan. A quasi-experimental design was conducted. Two interventions were performed: the brief MBIs and the EIs were applied. A sampling of 138 FCs completed the study interventions. The FCs in the mindfulness group demonstrated a significant improvement in measures of self-efficacy and reduction in burden scores. Furthermore, in the EI group, only self-efficacy was significantly higher in the post-test. Burden reduction was significantly higher in the EI group than the mindfulness group. Appropriate supportive interventions should be directed to improve self-efficacy and reduce burden to assist FCs to carry out their crucial role in providing care for their patients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Reinhard SC, Feinberg LF, Choula R, Houser A (2015) Valuing the invaluable: 2015 update, Insight on the Issues, vol. 104

  2. Yabroff KR, Kim Y (2009) Time costs associated with informal caregiving for cancer survivors. Cancer 115(S18):4362–4373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Kim H, Lee S, Cheon J, Hong S, Chang M (2018) A comparative study to identify factors of caregiver burden between baby boomers and post baby boomers: a secondary analysis of a US online caregiver survey. BMC Public Health 18(1):579

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kershaw T, Ellis KR, Yoon H, Schafenacker A, Katapodi M, Northouse L (2015) The interdependence of advanced cancer patients’ and their family caregivers’ mental health, physical health, and self-efficacy over time. Ann Behav Med 49(6):901–911

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bandura A (1995) Self-efficacy in changing societies. Cambridge university press

  6. Zavagli V, Miglietta E, Varani S, Pannuti R, Brighetti G, Pannuti F (2016) Associations between caregiving worries and psychophysical well-being. An investigation on home-cared cancer patients family caregivers. Support Care Cancer 24(2):857–863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Mosby I (2006) Mosby's medical dictionary. Mosby

  8. Birnie K, Garland SN, Carlson LE (2010) Psychological benefits for cancer patients and their partners participating in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Psycho-Oncology 19(9):1004–1009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. E. National Academies of Sciences and Medicine (2016) Families caring for an aging America. National Academies Press

  10. Al-Daken L, Ahmad M (2018) Predictors of burden and quality of sleep among family caregivers of patients with cancer. Support Care Cancer 26(11):3867–3973

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Northouse M, Katapodi C, Song L, Zhang L, Mood DW (2010) Interventions with family caregivers of cancer patients: meta-analysis of randomized trials. CA Cancer J Clin 60(5):317–339

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Kabat-Zinn J (2005) Coming to our senses: healing ourselves and the world through mindfulness, Hachette

  13. Luker K, Cooke M, Dunn L, Lloyd-Williams M, Pilling M, Todd C (2015) Development and evaluation of an intervention to support family caregivers of people with cancer to provide home-based care at the end of life: a feasibility study. Eur J Oncol Nurs 19(2):154–161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Fujinami R, Otis-Green S, Klein L, Sidhu R, Ferrell B (2012) Quality of life of family caregivers: challenges faced in care of the lung cancer patient. Clin J Oncol Nurs 16(6):E210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Belgacem B, Auclair C, Fedor MC, Brugnon D, Blanquet M, Tournilhac O, Gerbaud L (2013) A caregiver educational program improves quality of life and burden for cancer patients and their caregivers: a randomised clinical trial. Eur J Oncol Nurs 17(6):870–876

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Shum NF, Lui YL, Law WL, Fong YTD (2014) A nurse-led psycho-education programme for Chinese carers of patients with colorectal cancer: Nga Fan Shum and colleagues report on a randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of telephone support in Hong Kong. Cancer Nurs Pract 13(5):31–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Bahrami M, Farzi S (2014) The effect of a supportive educational program based on COPE model on caring burden and quality of life in family caregivers of women with breast cancer. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 19(2):119

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Martín JM, Olano-Lizarraga M, Saracíbar-Razquin M (2016) The experience of family caregivers caring for a terminal patient at home: a research review. Int J Nurs Stud 64:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Abdel-Razeq H, Attiga F, Mansour A (2015) Cancer care in Jordan. Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Therapy 8(2):64–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Grant M et al (2013) Family caregiver burden, skills preparedness, and quality of life in non-small-cell lung cancer. In: Oncology nursing forum, vol 40. NIH Public Access, p 337

  21. S. C. Reinhard, B. Given, N. H. Petlick, and A. Bemis, Supporting family caregivers in providing care, 2008

    Google Scholar 

  22. Al-Daken L, Ahmad M (2018) The implementation of mindfulness-based interventions and educational interventions to support family caregivers of patients with cancer: a systematic review. Perspect Psychiatr Care 54(3):441–452

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Porter LS, Keefe FJ, McBride CM, Pollak K, Fish L, Garst J (2002) Perceptions of patients' self-efficacy for managing pain and lung cancer symptoms: correspondence between patients and family caregivers. Pain 98(1):169–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Novak M, Guest C (1989) Application of a multidimensional caregiver burden inventory. The Gerontologist 29(6):798–803

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Chou K-R, Jiann-Chyun L, Chu H (2002) The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the caregiver burden inventory. Nurs Res 51(5):324–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Kabat-Zinn J (2018) Meditation is not what you think: mindfulness and why it is so important, Hachette

  27. Rayan A, Ahmad M (2016) Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on quality of life and positive reappraisal coping among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Res Dev Disabil 55:185–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. St Charles L (2010) Mindfulness, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and locus of control: examining relationships between four distinct but theoretically related concepts

  29. Liu H-Y, Huang L-H (2016) The relationship between family functioning and caregiving appraisal of dementia family caregivers: caregiving self-efficacy as a mediator. Aging Ment Health:1–10

  30. van den Hurk D, Schellekens M, Molema J, Prins J, Speckens A, van der Drift M (2013) Feasibility and acceptability of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in patients with lung cancer and their partners: a mixed-method pilot study. Pscyho-oncology 22:103

    Google Scholar 

  31. van den Hurk DG, Schellekens MP, Molema J, Speckens AE, van der Drift MA (2015) Mindfulness-based stress reduction for lung cancer patients and their partners: results of a mixed methods pilot study. Palliat Med:0269216315572720

  32. Whitebird RR, Kreitzer M, Crain AL, Lewis BA, Hanson LR, Enstad CJ (2012) Mindfulness-based stress reduction for family caregivers: a randomized controlled trial. 53(4):676–686

  33. Northouse L, Kershaw T, Mood D, Schafenacker A (2005) Effects of a family intervention on the quality of life of women with recurrent breast cancer and their family caregivers. Psycho-Oncology 14(6):478–491

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Porter LS, Keefe FJ, Garst J, Baucom DH, McBride CM, McKee DC, Sutton L, Carson K, Knowles V, Rumble M, Scipio C (2011) Caregiver-assisted coping skills training for lung cancer: results of a randomized clinical trial. J Pain Symptom Manag 41(1):1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Bevans M, Wehrlen L, Castro K, Prince P, Shelburne N, Soeken K, Zabora J, Wallen GR (2014) A problem-solving education intervention in caregivers and patients during allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. J Health Psychol 19(5):602–617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Al-Daken LI, Ahmad MM, Assessing levels of self-efficacy among family caregivers of patients with cancer

  37. Hendrix CC, Bailey DE Jr, Steinhauser KE, Olsen MK, Stechuchak KM, Lowman SG, Schwartz AJ, Riedel RF, Keefe FJ, Porter LS, Tulsky JA (2016) Effects of enhanced caregiver training program on cancer caregiver’s self-efficacy, preparedness, and psychological well-being. Support Care Cancer 24(1):327–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Creedle C, Leak A, Deal AM, Walton AM, Talbert G, Riff B, Hornback A (2012) The impact of education on caregiver burden on two inpatient oncology units. J Cancer Educ 27(2):250–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The authors received funding from the University of Jordan.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Nursing Department, School of Nursing, The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan

    Muayyad M. Ahmad

  2. College of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman

    Laila I. Al-Daken

Authors
  1. Muayyad M. Ahmad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Laila I. Al-Daken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Muayyad M. Ahmad.

Ethics declarations

Ethical Issues

Approvals from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) were obtained from the ethics committee in the selected settings. Data collection commenced after a written informed consent form was signed by the FCs who agreed to participate in both interventions were asked to complete the questionnaires at two different time frames: for baseline data (before interventions), and at the end of the brief MBI and EI after 5 weeks for both groups.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Key Points

• The brief MBIs hold optimistic results as an effective intervention to enhance self-efficacy and reduce burden among FCs of patients with cancer.

• We found that providing educational programs and offering medical information to FCs significantly have improved the levels of self-efficacy of FCs.

• FCs who are mindfully aware of their thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations can become more conscious about their abilities to perform tasks appropriately.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ahmad, M.M., Al-Daken, L.I. Clinical Trial on Mindfulness with Family Caregivers for Patients with Cancer. J Canc Educ 37, 304–310 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01812-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01812-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation