Caregiver Burden and Quality of Life Among Primary Caregivers of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: A Cross-sectional Study

Tanay Agrawal; Muhammed Faraz Chishty; Kumar Nitin; Bharat Agarwal

doi:10.51168/0bmwrr82

Autori

Tanay Agrawal Junior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Ananta Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Rajsamand, Rajasthan, India
Muhammed Faraz Chishty Junior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Ananta Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Rajsamand, Rajasthan, India
Kumar Nitin Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry Ananta Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre Rajsamand, Rajasthan, India
Bharat Agarwal Professor & Head, Department of Psychiatry, Ananta Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Rajsamand, Rajasthan, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51168/0bmwrr82

Cuvinte cheie:

caregiver burden, quality of life, head and neck cancer, Zarit Burden Interview, Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer, psycho-oncology

Rezumat

Background

Caregivers of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) may experience substantial burden and impaired quality of life due to prolonged caregiving demands. However, this association remains underexplored in Indian settings.
Objectives: To assess caregiver burden and quality of life among primary caregivers of HNC patients and examine their association with sociodemographic and clinical variables.

Methods

This cross-sectional observational study was conducted over 18 months among 124 primary caregivers of histopathologically confirmed HNC patients admitted to a tertiary care institute in Rajasthan, India. Caregiver burden was assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and caregiver quality of life using the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer (CQOLC). Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 25. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-square, Fisher's exact tests, and Spearman correlation were used, with p<0.05 considered significant.

Results

The mean ZBI score was 40.1 ± 15.9; 41.1% of caregivers reported mild-to-moderate burden, 21.8% moderate-to-severe burden, and 17.7% severe burden. The mean CQOLC score was 102.14 ± 27.59 and declined progressively with increasing burden, from 123.83 ± 11.24 among caregivers with little/no burden to 68.46 ± 26.18 among those with severe burden (p<0.001). ZBI score showed a strong negative correlation with CQOLC (r = −0.708, p<0.001). Caregiver burden was significantly associated with education, marital status, relationship to patient, socioeconomic class, patient care dependency, cancer stage, health insurance status, and treatment modality (p<0.05). CQOLC scores were significantly lower among caregivers of patients with greater care dependency, advanced cancer stage, absence of health insurance, and surgical treatment (p<0.05).

Conclusion

Caregiver burden is common among primary caregivers of HNC patients and is strongly inversely associated with quality of life.

Recommendation

Routine screening for caregiver burden and provision of psychosocial and financial support should be integrated into comprehensive HNC care.

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