School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Faculty of Business & Law, Taylor's University.
Eur J Cancer Prev. 2022 Mar 1;31(2):198-203. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000683.
While much research has focused on the direct impact of socioeconomic status on cancer patients, what is not clear is the impact of socioeconomic status on social support and the burden of care for caregivers. In this study, a cross-sectional method, using a convenience sampling approach, was adopted to collect the data of 191 caregivers of cancer patients who were referred to the oncology clinic and cancer institute of hospitals affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The participants completed a questionnaire on basic demographics, the short version of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers, and Zimet Multidimensional Perceived Social Support. A maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis with oblique rotation to assess the factor structure of the constructs and the measurement model was conducted. The two-factor model consisting of 22 items explained 65.116% of the variance. There was a significant negative relationship between social support and burden (b = -0.771, P < 0.001) and also between economic status and burden (b = -0.308, P < 0.01). Moreover, there was a significant positive association between the interaction of social support and economic status and burden (b = 0.138, P < 0.05). More specifically, the negative relationship between social support and burden was statistically stronger for participants with weak economic status (b = -0.663, P < 0.001) than those with good economic status (b = -0.356, P < 0.01). Social support and an individual's economic status are essential determinants of caregiver burden. Further studies are recommended to better inform the precise support needed by caregivers to enhance their quality of life, and ultimately, that of the patients under their care.
虽然大量研究集中在社会经济地位对癌症患者的直接影响上，但社会经济地位对社会支持和照顾者负担的影响尚不清楚。在这项研究中，采用横断面方法，采用便利抽样方法，收集了来自伊朗德黑兰大学医学科学附属医院肿瘤诊所和癌症研究所的 191 名癌症患者照顾者的数据。参与者完成了一份基本人口统计学、家庭照顾者负担量表简短版和 Zimet 多维感知社会支持量表的问卷。采用最大似然探索性因子分析和斜交旋转来评估结构和测量模型的因子结构。由 22 个项目组成的两因素模型解释了 65.116%的方差。社会支持与负担之间存在显著的负相关（b = -0.771，P < 0.001），经济状况与负担之间也存在显著的负相关（b = -0.308，P < 0.01）。此外，社会支持和经济状况之间的相互作用与负担之间存在显著的正相关（b = 0.138，P < 0.05）。更具体地说，对于经济状况较弱的参与者，社会支持与负担之间的负相关关系在统计学上更强（b = -0.663，P < 0.001），而对于经济状况较好的参与者则较弱（b = -0.356，P < 0.01）。社会支持和个人的经济状况是照顾者负担的重要决定因素。建议进一步研究，以更好地了解照顾者所需的精确支持，从而提高他们的生活质量，并最终提高他们所照顾的患者的生活质量。
