Healthcare Provider Support Contributing to Resilience among Caregivers of Advanced Cancer Patients: A Phenomenological Study
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This qualitative study, employing a phenomenological approach, aimed to explore the experiences of health care professionals’ support and its influence on the psychological resilience of caregivers of advanced cancer patients. Twenty caregivers of advanced cancer patients were purposively selected according to the inclusion criteria. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and behavioral observations and analyzed using the thematic analysis method.
The results revealed that caregivers articulated profound experiences of supportive interactions with health care professionals that enhanced their resilience. Four overarching themes emerged: 1) providing care to relieve suffering; 2) offering information and communication to facilitate caregivers’ decision-making; 3) supporting caregivers’ learning and capacity development through professional guidance; and 4) providing resources and service systems that ensure continuity of care.
These findings underscore the proactive roles of professional nurses and other health care providers in fostering the psychological resilience of caregivers of advanced cancer patients. Emotional and informational support were provided to empower caregivers, while structural and system-level support promoted continuity and comprehensiveness of care. The insights derived from this study can contribute to the development of holistic, evidence-based guidelines for end-of-life cancer care.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Content and information published in the Journal of Prachomklao College of Nursing, Phetchaburi Province are the comment and responsibility of the authors. Articles, information, images, etc. published in this journal are the copyright of the Journal of Prachomklao College of Nursing, Phetchaburi Province. If any person or entity wants to take all or part of it for publication for any purposes, please reference the Journal of Prachomklao College of Nursing, Phetchaburi Province.
References
Bandura, A. (1995). Exercise of personal and collective efficacy in changing societies. In A. Bandura (Ed.), Self-efficacy in changing societies (1-45). Cambridge University Press.
Bevans M. F., & Sternberg E. M. (2012). Caregiving burden, stress, and health effects among family caregivers of adult cancer patients. Journal of the American Medical Association, 307(4), 398–403. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.29.
Creswell, J. & Poth, C. (2018). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th Ed.). SAGE.
Cui, P., Yang, M., Hu, H., Cheng, C., Chen, X., Shi, J., … Zhang, H. (2024). The impact of caregiver burden on quality of life in family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer: A moderated mediation analysis of the role of family resilience. BMC Public Health, 24, Article 817. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18321-3
Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. (2018). Resilience quotient. https://mhc5.dmh.go.th/appcenter/rq/
dos Santos, L. A., de Oliveira, P. P., de Araújo da Silveira, E. A., Gesteira, E. C. R., da Fonseca, D. F., & Rodrigues, A. B. (2019). The resilience process in family caregivers of people with malignant neoplasia. Esc Anna Nery, 23(3), e20190023. https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-EAN-2019-0023
Grové, C., Reupert, A., & Maybery, D. (2020). Supporting children and families where a parent has a mental illness: A review of interventions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7228. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197228
Harvard Institute of Politics and Global Health Institute. (2023, October 21). Cancer profiles. https://globalhealth.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-HGHI-Annual-Report_Final_DIGITAL.pdf
Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time. In J. Macquarrie & E. Robinson, Being and time (Trans.). Harper & Row.
Holloway, I., & Galvin, K. (2017). Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare (4th Ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Kahriman, F., & Zaybak, A. (2015). Caregiver burden and perceived social support among caregivers of patients with cancer. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 16, 3313-3317. https://doi.org/10.7314/apjcp.2015.16.8.3313
Lim, J. Cho, H., Bunds, K. S., & Lee, C. (2021). Cancer family caregivers’ quality of life and the meaning of leisure. Health Care for Women International, 42(7), 1144-1164. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2020.1752214
National Cancer Institute Department of Thailand: NCIDT. (2022, August 5). Hospital-based cancer registry: 2022. https://www.nci.go.th/th/cancer_record/download/Hosbased-2022-1.pdf
Opsomer, S., Lauwerier, E., Lepeleire, J. D., & Pype, P. (2022). Resilience in advanced cancer caregiving: A systematic review and meta-synthesis. Palliative Medicine, 36(1), 44-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163211057749
Pikulthong, K., & Lueboonthavatchai, P. (2021). Resilience and associated factors of family caregivers of the terminal illness patients at Cheewabhibaln Center, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. Chulalongkorn Medical Journal, 65(3), 319-326. https://he05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/CMJ/article/view/151/139
Røen, I., Stifoss-Hanssen, H., Grande, G., Brenne, A., Kaasa, S., Sand, K., & Knudsen, A. K. (2018). Resilience for family carers of advanced cancer patients-how can health care providers contribute? A qualitative interview study with carers. Palliative Medicine, 32(8), 1410–1418. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216318777656
Salim, N. F., Borhani, F., Pour, M. B., & Khabazkhoob, M. (2019). Correlation between perceived social support and resilience in the family of patients with cancer. Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science, 7(1), 158-162.
Santo, E. V. M., & Calderón, V. P. H. (2023). Coping strategies and quality of life in primary caregivers of cancer patients. Sapienza: International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(SI1), 23035. https://doi.org/10.51798/sijis.v4iSI1.661
Sari, N. P. W. P., Mazenda, A., Duong, M. P. T., Putra, M. M., Yudamuckti, P. M. A., Nguyen, M. H., & Vuong, Q. H. (2025). Assessing the needs of healthcare information for assisting family caregivers in cancer fear management: A mindsponge-based approach. Discover Social Science and Health, 5(1), 88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-025-00234-0
Sun, H., Wacharasin, C., & Hengudomsub, P. (2024). Change in resilience among spousal caregivers of patients with newly-diagnosed advanced cancer over the first six months posttreatment in China. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 183, 111538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111538
Super, D. E. (1992). Toward a comprehensive theory of career development. In D. H. Montross & C. J. Shinkman (Eds.), Career development: Theory and practice (pp. 35–64). Charles C Thomas.
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3), 455–471. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.2490090305
Walsh, F. (2016). Strengthening family resilience (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Waugh, C. E., & Sali, A. W. (2023). Resilience as the ability to maintain well-being: An allostatic active inference model. Journal of Intelligence, 11(8), 158-168. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11080158
Wittenberg, E., Ferrell, B., & Goldsmith, J. (2017). Textbook of palliative care communication. Oxford University Press.
World Health Organization: WHO. (2024, December 23). Noncommunicable diseases. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
Zahedi, H., Sahebihagh, M. H., Mirghafourvand, M., & Hosseinzadeh, M. (2025). A qualitative study of family caregivers’ experiences in caring for breast cancer patients. Scientific Reports, 15(1), Article 24287. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09198-2
