Gender differences in the construction and experience of cancer care: The consequences of the gendered positioning of carers (original) (raw)
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Gender differences in cancer carer psychological distress: an analysis of moderators and mediators
Gender differences in cancer carer psychological distress: an analysis of moderators and mediators Women cancer carers report higher rates of distress than men; however, there is little understanding of the mechanisms underlying these gender differences. The aim of this study was to examine the potential mediating roles of burden of care, unmet needs, self-silencing, self-efficacy and optimism, and the potential moderating influence of social support, cancer stage, patient gender, time spent caring and other responsibilities , on gender differences in carer distress. Of 329 informal cancer carers (245 women, 119 men), women reported significantly more anxiety, burden of care and unmet needs than men. In the mediation analysis, gender differences in anxiety were fully explained by both the independent contribution and combination of: Disrupted Schedule, Health Problems and Emotional and Spiritual Unmet Needs. Women cared for both men and women patients, across a broad range of relationships, whereas men predominantly cared for their female partner. There was no gender difference in number of hours spent caring or in companionship, amount of support received, and additional responsibilities for children, housework or studies, and none of these factors acted as moderators of gender differences in anxiety. It is concluded that women's gendered role is associated with unmet needs and burden of care, resulting in greater anxiety.
The Gendered Construction and Experience of Difficulties and Rewards in Cancer Care
Women cancer carers have consistently been found to report higher levels of distress than men carers. However, there is little understanding of the mechanisms underlying these gender differences in distress, and a neglect of rewarding aspects of care. We conducted in-depth semistructured interviews with 53 informal cancer carers, 34 women and 19 men, to examine difficult and rewarding aspects of cancer care. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. Women were more likely to report negative changes in the relationship with the person with cancer; neglect of self, social isolation, and physical health consequences; anxiety; personal strength and growth; and to position caring as a privilege. Men were more likely to report increased relational closeness with the person with cancer, and the burden of additional responsibilities within the home as a difficult aspect of caring. We interpret these findings in relation to a social constructionist analysis of gender roles.
Cancer Caregivers' Quality of Life: Effects of Gender, Relationship, and Appraisal
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2007
The objective of this study was to examine caregivers' gender and relationship to the cancer survivor as plausible predictors of their appraisals of providing care, and to further examine the association of the caregivers' appraisal with their own quality of life. Of the 739 caregivers who participated in the American Cancer Society's Quality of Life Survey for Caregivers, 627 were either the spouse or the offspring of a cancer survivor. Of those, 448 who provided complete information on study variables were included in this study. Multivariate analyses revealed that male caregivers were more likely to appraise the caregiving experience as boosting their self-esteem (positive) than female caregivers, whereas adult daughters appraised the experience as stressful (negative), and sons appraised the experience as the least stressful. More importantly, caregivers' esteem and caregiving stress were strong predictors of the caregivers' quality of life. These effects were significant after controlling for potentially confounding variables. The findings suggest that cancer caregivers may benefit from programs designed to assist them in viewing their involvement in cancer care as meaningful and as a personal growth experience, as well as helping them to seek support to minimize their caregiving stress.
Gender differences in caregiving stress among caregivers of cancer survivors
Psycho-Oncology, 2006
Despite a growing body of research on male caregivers, limited information is available on male caregivers of cancer survivors. Furthermore, few studies have examined the unique contribution of caregiver esteem as well as carerecipient's functional status as potential mediators of the link between gender and caregiving stress. Thus, the present study examines how the caregiver's perception of providing care to a spouse with cancer differs by gender. The proposed mediators, caregiver's esteem and care-recipient's psychosocial and physical functioning, were tested simultaneously, utilizing structural equation modeling. Results revealed that both caregiver's esteem and carerecipient's psychosocial functioning were significant mediators, but in different directions. Specifically, husband caregivers reported higher caregiver's esteem, which resulted in reporting less stress from providing care to their wife with cancer. On the other hand, when husband caregivers provided care to their wife with poorer psychosocial functioning, they reported greater stress from caregiving. Husband caregivers will benefit from programs designed to educate them to effectively assist their wife's psychosocial adjustment to cancer by reducing their stress from providing care.
Companions through cancer: the care given by informal carers in cancer contexts
Social Science Medicine, 2002
This paper explores the care-giving experiences of informal carers in cancer contexts, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data generated in a 3 year study in the UK on the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and their main carers. The study adopted a sociological approach to psychosocial needs, in contrast to dominant psychological and psychiatric perspectives on such needs in psycho-oncology. Data collection methods involved a descriptive crosssectional survey of carers (an achieved sample of 262 respondents, with similar numbers of male and female carers) followed by in-depth guided interviews with a sub-sample of surveyed carers (n ¼32). Key findings are presented in three sections: (i) the characteristics of the survey and interview samples; (ii) the examination of the care work undertaken by informal carers; and (iii), the exploration of the emotion work undertaken by informal carers.
Spouses' experience of caregiving for cancer patients: a literature review
International Nursing Review, 2013
The spouse is generally the primary informal caregiver for cancer patients. Many studies have explored the experience of caregiving for cancer patients, but it is unclear whether there are gender differences in the spousal caring experience for cancer patients. Aim: This review describes the recent published research on the stress process of spousal caregiving experience for cancer patients, and aims to identify any gender differences in the caregiving experience. Methods: Electronic, manual and author's searches were conducted. Articles included were published in English and Chinese, from January 2000 to March 2012. Study population is couples coping with cancer. Focus is on caregiving experience for spouse with cancer, and findings include both male and female spousal caregivers in quantitative studies. The databases searched included MEDLINE, CINAHL, Science Citation Index Expanded, Scopus, PsycINFO and the China Academic Journal Full-text Database. The key search terms used were 'cancer' or 'oncology' or 'carcinoma' AND 'caregiver' or 'caregiving' or 'carer' AND 'gender differences' or 'gender' AND 'spouse' or 'couple' or 'partner' . Spousal caregiving experiences of cancer patients were explored by adopting the 'stress process' of the Cancer Family Caregiving Experience Model from the gender perspective. Results: Twenty-five articles were identified and included in this review. It was revealed that female spousal caregivers perceived higher level negative experience in caregiving, such as lower mental health, lower physical health, poorer health-related quality of life, lower life satisfaction and decreased marital satisfaction than male spousal caregivers. However, female spousal caregivers are more likely to experience personal growth than male spousal caregivers. Conclusion: This review identified that female spousal caregivers for cancer patients had higher levels of negative experience in caregiving. A better understanding of the spousal caregiving experience will provide healthcare professionals with the information needed to develop interventions to support and prepare spousal caregivers to care for their loved ones with cancer.
THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER TRIGATED BY THE EXERCISE OF CARING (Atena Editora), 2022
The work relationship of the caregiver of cancer patients - whether professional in the area or family member - can have negative implications on their health. In order to understand the dimension of the complaints and challenges faced by the function, bibliographies from the last ten years were selected, most of which were published in online bases. Through the literature review, it was found that the profile of the caregiver is commonly perceived among women aged around 52 years old. Among the main complaints were emotional, physical and mental overload, in addition to stress and depression. This information suggests that the caregiver needs more monitoring and preparation, provided by government policies and initiatives of the family group itself, so that care work is not a physical and psychological burden.
Patterns of Caregiver Experiences Among Partners of Cancer Patients
The Gerontologist, 2000
This study describes patterns of caregiving experiences in partners of patients with cancer ( N ϭ 148) over a 6-month period. Caregiving experiences were assessed by means of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment Scale (CRA), which consists of four negative dimensions and one positive subscale: Disrupted Schedule, Financial Problems, Lack of Family Support, Loss of Physical Strength, and Self-Esteem. Subgroup analyses were performed according to gender, age, and socioeconomic status (SES). Type, size, and direction of changes in caregiving experiences over time were analyzed both at a group level and at an individual level. Patterns of caregiver experiences appeared to vary between the subgroups; women, younger caregivers, and caregivers with a higher SES experienced caregiving more negatively or less positively. The findings illustrate the value of studying inter-and intraindividual patterns across different subgroups, and stress that caregiver experiences should be regarded as a multidimensional concept that includes both negative and positive experiences of caregiving.