Caregivers of Cancer Patients Are Also Survivors

National Cancer Institute Bulletin | 10.17.2006

Survivorship Spectrum, Part III

There is mounting research cataloging the impact that caring for loved ones with cancer - by parents, spouses, siblings, even close friends - can have. It might come as no surprise, for example, that parents of children who have undergone cancer treatment can show psychological problems similar to those seen in people who have survived natural disasters or war. Moreover, studies have revealed that such posttraumatic stress symptoms can be, and often are, worse than those seen in the child, and that they can last for months and even years after treatment is over.

Although it's a relatively new area, explained OCS Director Dr. Julia Rowland, research on cancer caregivers has matured to the point where it is now testing interventions to help individuals, and often families, deal with the physical, psychological, and financial effects of providing care.

The studies are attempting to "test interventions that promote communication between survivors and their caregivers, and enable caregivers to feel competent in or informed about the care that they deliver," Dr. Rowland said. "Others are attempting to enhance caregivers' coping skills and attention to personal health and well-being."

At The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, for instance, Dr. Anne Kazak, who directs its Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress, is testing a family-based program to help both children and parents better handle the psychological trauma that cancer can inflict on families.

"The program model integrates cognitive behavior therapy and family therapy," Dr. Kazak explained. "It asks family members, within the context of a group of families, to discuss their beliefs about what's happened to them, and then uses behavioral approaches to help them cope better and feel better."

Among Dr. Laurel Northouse's caregiver-related projects at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is a similar family-based intervention for survivors and caregivers that strictly involves single-family encounters. The program has been used successfully to help women with recurrent breast cancer and their caregivers cope with emotional challenges, and Dr. Northouse and her colleagues just completed a study using it to help men who have been treated for prostate cancer and their spouses.

NCI Survivorship Resources:

National Organizations

Reports

Cancer Follow-up Care Guidelines

NCI Fact Sheets and Tips

Clinic and Long-Term Care Referrals

Copyright 2006 National Cancer Institute