Department of Public Health and the Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Aging, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
Pain and Palliative Care Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2020 Dec;49:101828. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2020.101828. Epub 2020 Sep 9.
Caregivers face severe difficulties in communicating openly with their terminally ill relatives about illness and death. Some studies suggest that females are more likely than males to hold such conversations. We compared level of open communication between male and female spouse-caregivers, and the contribution of personal and situational characteristics to the explanation of open communication level within each gender group.
The study design was correlational. We interviewed 77 spousal-primary caregivers of terminal cancer patients. Participants were recruited over a 10-month period from the home hospice unit of the central region of Israel's largest Health Maintenance Organization. The questionnaire included measures of open communication, along with caregiver's personal and situational characteristics.
Female spouses reported higher levels of open communication about illness and death with their loved ones, compared to male spouses. Among males, duration of care and self-efficacy emerged as significant contributors to open communication level. Among females, self-efficacy and ethnic origin were found to be significant explanatory variables.
This study demonstrates the important role gender plays in level of open communication between spousal caregivers and terminal cancer patients, concerning their illness and approaching death. Self-efficacy, ethnic origin and duration of care are also significant factors explaining open communication of both male and female caregivers. These factors should be considered by nurses and other healthcare professionals when developing intervention programs to increase the level of open communication between family caregivers and their terminally ill relatives.
照顾者在与临终亲属公开谈论疾病和死亡方面面临着巨大的困难。一些研究表明，女性比男性更有可能进行此类对话。我们比较了男性和女性配偶照顾者之间的开放沟通水平，以及个人和情境特征对每个性别群体中开放沟通水平的解释。
研究设计为相关性。我们采访了 77 名癌症末期患者的配偶主要照顾者。参与者是在以色列最大的健康维护组织中部地区的家庭临终关怀单位招募的，历时 10 个月。问卷包括关于开放沟通的措施，以及照顾者的个人和情境特征。
与男性配偶相比，女性配偶报告与他们所爱的人就疾病和死亡进行了更高水平的开放沟通。在男性中，护理时间和自我效能感是开放沟通水平的重要贡献因素。在女性中，自我效能感和种族起源被发现是重要的解释变量。
本研究表明，性别在配偶照顾者与癌症末期患者之间关于疾病和接近死亡的开放沟通水平方面起着重要作用。自我效能感、种族起源和护理时间也是男性和女性照顾者开放沟通的重要因素。护士和其他医疗保健专业人员在制定干预计划以提高家庭照顾者和他们的绝症亲属之间的开放沟通水平时，应考虑这些因素。
