Date of Completion

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Keywords

Patients, Cancer, Informal Caregivers

Abstract

The study utilized a quantitative descriptive analytical type of research design through purposive and snowball sampling methods to determine the psychological impact on informal caregivers caring for cancer patients and to determine if there is a significant difference in the psychological impact on informal caregivers when they are grouped according to age, cancer stage, civil status, relationship of informal caregiver to the person receiving care, and sex. From the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. Most of the respondents were female with ages ranging from 46-59 years old, married, and a first-degree relative of the patient with stage 2 cancer. 2. Informal caregivers experience a Minimal Psychological Impact in caring for cancer patients. Specifically, they experience a more negative impact on their emotional health due to a high regard for having negative feelings accompanied by the fear of the death of their cancer patient. In addition, they experience the least negative impact on the social aspect of their psychological health due to having sufficient time allotted for their caregiving role and social activities, despite the fact that being an informal caregiver is work that takes time out of their days, indicating that they are also flexible with how they handle their time and schedule. Hence, as long as they find support and time, informal caregivers can cope with the stressors involved that impede their psychological health, thus having a less compromised quality of life. The findings also provide information on the highest specific psychological impact on informal caregivers of cancer patients under emotional impact namely: the fear of their loved one’s death, due to the extreme stress that is experienced by the informal caregivers makes it hard to live each day, as they deal with suffocating issues that makes it hard for them to carry on with their duties, which makes them experience negative thoughts and feelings, in turn having a decrease in efficiency of providing care. On the other hand, the lowest specific psychological impact on informal caregivers in caring for cancer under social impact is patients having to isolate themselves from family and friends. This shows that they were perceived as having the least impact or significance due to some of the informal caregivers still having flexible time in partaking in their role as an informal caregiver and doing other things apart from the caregiving role. And since the informal caregivers care for their family members with cancer, there is a big factor that the informal caregivers do not feel dreadful when partaking in the caregiving role because they also have a support system and have the notion that family always sticks together which helps alleviate any stressors that can occur in the caregiving role. 3. The research findings show that there is no significant difference in perceived psychological impact on informal caregivers when grouped according to age, cancer stage, civil status, relationship to the care recipient, and sex in caring for cancer patients.

First Advisor

Jamaica Rose L. Cerrero

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