Levesque Janelle V, Gerges Martha, Girgis Afaf
Psycho-Oncology Research Group, Centre for Oncology Education and Research Translation (CONCERT), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia.
South Western Sydney Clinical School, The University of New South Wales, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia.
BMJ Open. 2018 Feb 17;8(2):e019530. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019530.
It is projected that 17 730 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia in 2017, with 3114 of these predicted to be fatal. Caregiving for a person with cancer can significantly impact caregivers' physical and mental health. Many caregivers feel ill-prepared for this role, especially when care involves complex medical needs accompanied by the psychological challenges experienced following a cancer diagnosis.
This study employs a convergent, parallel, mixed methods design combining an online survey with an optional interview. Eligible, consenting participants will be invited to participate in a survey to examine (1) participants' unmet needs, (2) challenges experienced throughout the cancer journey, (3) perceived self-efficacy to determine participants' level of confidence in undertaking caregiver tasks, (4) views regarding suitable content to include in a caregiver training intervention, (5) preferred method of intervention delivery (ie, website, smartphone application and/or interactive video), and (6) preferences for the timing of delivery of the intervention content (ie, ability to choose a module, access to the entire content or have a set order in which they receive the information). Caregivers will be eligible to participate if they (1) are male, (2) have previously cared for or are currently caring for a woman with breast cancer, (3) are aged over 18 years, and (4) do not currently suffer from a cognitive impairment or mental health condition (ie, depression, anxiety). Data analysis will include examination of differences in psychological outcomes and needs based on demographic variables, and mediation analysis to explore whether self-efficacy mediates the relationship between challenges, unmet needs and distress. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis.
The study was reviewed and approved by two human research ethics committees within Australia. We anticipate two to three publications may be developed from the study.
预计2017年澳大利亚将有17730名女性被诊断出患有乳腺癌，其中预计3114例将是致命的。照顾癌症患者会对照顾者的身心健康产生重大影响。许多照顾者觉得自己对这个角色准备不足，尤其是当护理涉及复杂的医疗需求以及癌症诊断后所经历的心理挑战时。
本研究采用收敛性、平行性混合方法设计，将在线调查与可选访谈相结合。符合条件并同意参与的参与者将被邀请参加一项调查，以检查：（1）参与者未满足的需求；（2）在整个癌症治疗过程中所经历的挑战；（3）感知自我效能，以确定参与者承担照顾者任务的信心水平；（4）对照顾者培训干预中应包含的合适内容的看法；（5）干预交付的首选方法（即网站、智能手机应用程序和/或交互式视频）；以及（6）对干预内容交付时间的偏好（即能够选择一个模块、访问全部内容或按设定顺序接收信息）。如果照顾者满足以下条件，则有资格参与：（1）为男性；（2）以前或目前正在照顾患有乳腺癌的女性；（3）年龄超过18岁；（4）目前没有认知障碍或心理健康问题（即抑郁症、焦虑症）。数据分析将包括根据人口统计学变量检查心理结果和需求的差异，以及进行中介分析，以探讨自我效能是否介导挑战、未满足的需求和痛苦之间的关系。定性数据将采用主题分析进行分析。
该研究已由澳大利亚境内的两个人类研究伦理委员会进行审查并批准。我们预计该研究可能会产生两到三篇出版物。
