Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Nursing, Shanghai, 200001, China.
Department of Nursing, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Nursing, 650 Xin Song Jiang Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai, 201620, China.
Support Care Cancer. 2024 Sep 10;32(10):649. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08857-w.
Despite the increasing research on cancer patient caregivers, there is still a lack of detailed understanding about the experiences of spouses caring for elderly colorectal cancer patients. This study aimed to fill this gap by examining the caregiving experiences of spouses during palliative chemotherapy for elderly Chinese colorectal cancer patients.
Using a qualitative descriptive design, we recruited spousal caregivers of elderly colorectal cancer patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data.
Sixteen caregivers aged 60 to 82 years participated in the interviews. The analysis revealed three main themes: ambivalence, multiple role adaptation to conflicts, and the coexistence of hope and pressure. These themes shed light on the behaviors of older caregivers and the challenges they face, including physical and psychosocial issues associated with aging.
This study highlights the significant stress and challenges experienced by older caregivers, characterized by intertwined emotions such as anxiety about their spouses' health deterioration, exhaustion from long-term care responsibilities, and anticipation of treatment outcomes.
尽管针对癌症患者照顾者的研究日益增多，但对于老年结直肠癌患者配偶照顾者的体验，我们仍缺乏详细的了解。本研究旨在通过考察老年中国结直肠癌患者姑息化疗期间配偶的照顾体验来填补这一空白。
本研究采用定性描述性设计，招募了正在接受姑息化疗的老年结直肠癌患者的配偶照顾者。进行了半结构式访谈，并采用主题分析来分析数据。
16 名年龄在 60 至 82 岁的照顾者参加了访谈。分析揭示了三个主要主题：矛盾心理、多种角色适应冲突，以及希望与压力共存。这些主题揭示了老年照顾者的行为和他们面临的挑战，包括与衰老相关的身体和心理社会问题。
本研究强调了老年照顾者所经历的重大压力和挑战，其特点是与配偶健康恶化、长期照顾责任带来的疲惫以及对治疗结果的期待等交织在一起的复杂情绪。
