Distrés en el cuidador primario del paciente adulto con enfermedad oncológica avanzada

Abstract

Background. Distress is an unpleasant emotional experience of psychological, social or spiritual nature, which can interfere with the ability to cope. Objective. To describe the distress phenomenology in primary caregivers of adults with advanced cancer. Material and Methods. In this descriptive cross-sectional study we evaluated adults with advanced oncologic disease and their primary caregivers. A structured interview and clinimetric instruments (Palliative Performance Scale, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale, and The Distress Thermometer) were applied to estimate the frequency and severity of distress in both groups. We also examined possible variables associated with distress. Results. Information on 87 patient-caregiver dyads (n=174) was analyzed. Age was significantly lower in caregivers than in patients. Approximately half of the caregivers had a paid job; 38 % was a homemaker. The prevalence of distress was significantly higher among caregivers than their patients (86.2 % vs. 71.3 %, respectively; p=0.01). According to the caregivers, the main problems linked to distress were emotional (62 %) and practical (40 %); which contrasts with the patients, who claimed the main problems were physical (57 %), followed by emotional (36 %). Conclusions. The prevalence of distress among caregivers of patients with advanced disease is very high. Moreover, the frequency of perceived distress in caregivers is higher than their respective patients. The most heavily affected domain, perceived by caregivers is emotional, while in the patients it is mainly physical.