{"id":46300,"date":"2023-10-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/news-events\/cancer-currents-blog\/2023\/cancer-caregivers-distress-screening"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:12:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:12:21","slug":"study-finds-shortcomings-in-monitoring-caregivers-emotional-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/study-finds-shortcomings-in-monitoring-caregivers-emotional-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Finds Shortcomings in Monitoring Caregivers’ Emotional Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Many community cancer clinics don’t routinely screen informal caregivers of their patients for distress.<\/p>\n

Credit: iStock<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Getting a diagnosis and undergoing treatment for a serious illness like cancer rank as some of life\u2019s most stressful experiences. Over the last decade, it\u2019s been increasingly recognized that distress can have an impact on a patient\u2019s health. Asking people with cancer about their emotional health\u2014and treating distress\u2014has become an integral part of cancer care.<\/p>\n

But another population can experience substantial distress stemming from the fallout of a cancer diagnosis: family members and loved ones who act as caregivers<\/a>. <\/p>\n

And progress in identifying caregivers in distress and pointing them toward help lags far behind the advances in helping patients, according to results from a new study published September 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In a survey of more than 100 community cancer clinics across the United States, only 16% reported that they routinely screened caregivers for distress<\/a>, and less than 13% had a strategy in place to refer those in need to mental health and other services, the study showed. In contrast, more than 90% regularly screened patients for distress and provided referrals to supportive care<\/a> services.<\/p>\n

Distress can harm a caregiver\u2019s mental and physical health and may also affect the loved one with cancer they\u2019re caring for, explained Chandylen Nightingale, Ph.D., of Wake Forest University, who led the study.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s definitely evidence to suggest that caregiver well-being impacts the ability of people to provide care for their loved ones,\u201d Dr. Nightingale said. \u201cIt can impact how well the person with cancer will do emotionally. It can even lead to them having more emergency room visits or longer hospital stays.\u201d<\/p>\n

The good news is that systems already exist to capture information on distress for patients. It may just be a question of leveraging them to help caregivers, explained Ann Geiger, Ph.D., from NCI\u2019s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS)<\/a>, who was not involved with the study.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a major accomplishment that almost all patients are screened for distress. But it took a long time to get there\u2014it\u2019s not something that happened overnight,\u201d Dr. Geiger explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting to widespread screening of caregivers will take time, but this research shows that process has begun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many sources of distress for cancer caregivers<\/h2>\n

Caregiver distress, which may include symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, can arise from many stressors, explained Dr. Nightingale. <\/p>\n

\u201cCancer is often a very abrupt diagnosis and so, oftentimes, caregivers come into the role with little or no preparation or training. That can absolutely be distressing for them,\u201d she said. \u201cThen watching your loved one struggle with cancer treatment and any symptoms they might have, whether they\u2019re physical or emotional, that\u2019s going to be distressing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Many caregivers also have to juggle their own challenges, such as a job and childcare, in addition to caretaking, explained Michelle Mollica, Ph.D., of DCCPS, who was also not involved in the study. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much uncertainty in cancer, and that often transfers to the caregiver,\u201d Dr. Mollica said. \u201cWhat will your partner or loved one need at any given moment? And how does that impact you and your ability to do things like work or take care of yourself, your finances?\u201d<\/p>\n

Services exist to help caregivers deal with or lessen their distress, including referring people to mental health care or a formal support group, or providing help accessing financial resources. But caregiver programs are not universally available<\/a>, and how often caregivers in need get linked to such services isn\u2019t well documented.<\/p>\n