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Patient-caregiver dyads in pancreatic cancer: identification of patient and caregiver factors associated with caregiver well-being

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Abstract

We aimed to examine the psychosocial well-being in the pancreas cancer patient-caregiver dyad, and determine patient and caregiver characteristics that predict caregiver distress. This was a cross-sectional, observational study. Demographics and caregiving characteristics were gathered from patients and caregivers. Caregivers completed validated instruments investigating anxiety, depression, perceived stress and caregiver burden. Over a period of eleven months, 128 patient-caregiver dyads were enrolled. Patient and caregiver distress scores were not associated with patient clinical disease burden. Patient distress was a significant predictor of concurrent caregiver distress, anxiety, depression, and perceived burden. Younger caregivers were also associated with higher caregiver anxiety and perceived burden. Additionally, number of caregiving activities and caregiver overall health status were predictors of concurrent caregiver depression and perceived stress. Certain pancreatic cancer patient and caregiver variables may negatively impact the well-being of caregivers. Future efforts should focus on development and implementation of comprehensive caregiver support programs for those at risk for psychosocial distress.

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Acknowledgements

A thank you to the Canopy Collective; Fisher Family; as well as the Moffitt Pancreas Research Fund, supported by patients/ families, who are inspirational in helping the medical community identify opportunities for more comprehensive and compassionate care.

Funding

This study was supported by the Junior Scientist Research Partnership Award through Moffitt Cancer Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA

    Brent T. Xia, Kelvin Allenson, Maria Kocab, Jason W. Denbo, Mokenge P. Malafa, Jennifer B. Permuth, Dae Won Kim, Jason B. Fleming & Pamela J. Hodul

  2. Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA

    Amy K. Otto & Maija Reblin

  3. University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, Duluth, MN, USA

    Amy K. Otto

  4. Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Kelvin Allenson

  5. Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Shared Resource, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA

    Wenyi Fan & Qianxing Mo

  6. Department of Cancer Epidemiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA

    Jennifer B. Permuth

  7. Department of Family Medicine, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

    Maija Reblin

  8. Department of Oncologic Services, University of South Florida School of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Pamela J. Hodul

  9. Division of Surgical Oncology, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Edgewood, KY, USA

    Brent T. Xia

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  1. Brent T. Xia
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  2. Amy K. Otto
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by KA, AKO, MK, BTX, and PJH. The first draft of the manuscript was written by BTX, KA and AKO, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pamela J. Hodul.

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Ethics approval

This study received institutional review board approval (AdvarraPro00040381).

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All participating patients were consented to an institutional protocol with permitted access to medical record information for research purposes.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study received institutional review board approval (Advarra Pro00040381).

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Xia, B.T., Otto, A.K., Allenson, K. et al. Patient-caregiver dyads in pancreatic cancer: identification of patient and caregiver factors associated with caregiver well-being. J Behav Med 45, 935–946 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-022-00354-x

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