The role of social and psychologic resources in caregiving of cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The role of social support and personality within the cancer caregiving process has remained a relatively unexplored area. The current longitudinal study examines the main and moderating effects on caregiver experiences and caregiver's depression over time of various social and psychologic resources.
METHODS: Newly diagnosed colorectal carcinoma patients and their partners (N = 148) were included and data were obtained at three measurement points: 2 weeks prior to hospital admission and 3 months and 6 months after discharge. The initial and change scores of the caregiver's negative and positive social interactions and personality attributes (mastery, neuroticism, and extraversion) were included to assess their impact on caregiver experiences and depression over time.
RESULTS: The main effects of social and psychologic resources on caregiver experiences were found to be small to absent. With respect to caregiver depression, both initial scores and changes in neuroticism, mastery, and negative social interactions were shown to have substantial main effects over time. Moreover, daily emotional support and mastery modified the relations between caregiver experiences and caregiver depression. Caregivers with a low level of daily emotional support, as well as those with a low score on mastery and who also perceived caregiving in a more negative way were identified as more depressed over time.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study demonstrate the importance of including various social and psychologic resources in studying the cancer caregiving process. It illustrates the distinctive impact of these resources on the depression of caregivers of patients with cancer, and therefore helps healthcare providers understand why some persons adapt better than others to their caregiving role. Copyright 2001 American Cancer Society.