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Designing a need-based program for relieving psychological distress of family caregivers of leukemia patients: a randomized controlled trial

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Abstract

Purpose

The family of leukemia patients, due to their caring role, often feels psychological distress. A practical need-based program carefully considers the set of requirements of nursing service recipients. This paper illustrates the efficacy of a designed family-need-based program on relieving stress, anxiety, and depression of family caregivers of leukemia patients.

Methods

In this controlled trial, sixty-four family caregivers of leukemia patients referring to a medical center in Iran were recruited by convenience sampling and randomly divided into study and control groups. The study group attended a designed need-based program. The control group did not receive the intervention. Stress, anxiety, and depression of both groups were simultaneously measured and compared in three time-points using the scale of stress, anxiety, and depression (DASS-42). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results

Before the program, the average scores of stress, anxiety, and depression were 31.16 ± 4.14, 21.37 ± 6.31, and 27.56 ± 4.24 for the study group and 31.09 ± 4.48, 20.34 ± 6.56, and 28.78 ± 4.72 for the control group. After the program, the average scores of stress, anxiety, and depression were 10.56 ± 3.37, 6.75 ± 2.99, and 7.37 ± 2.76 for the study group and 34.87 ± 2.51, 23.65 ± 4.96, and 32.56 ± 3.49 for the control group, respectively. Results of the independent t test indicated no considerable difference before the program (P > 0.05) and a significant difference after the program (P < 0.001) between the two groups.

Conclusion

This family-need-based program can decrease the level of stress, anxiety, and depression of the family caregivers of leukemia patients and may potentially alleviate the psychological distress of family caregivers over their caring role.

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Availability of data and material

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Code availability

The authors have full control of all primary data and allow the journal to review the code if requested.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the cooperation of officials and staff of the Sayed Al-Shohada (AS) Medical Center and also Mr. Saeed Pahlavanzade and Ms. Fariba Dalvi Isfahani, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. This work was supported by Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Funding

This study has been funded by the research deputy of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

NK and MA should be considered joint first authors. NK was involved in the conception, designing, and conducting of the study. MA performed the data analysis and interpretation, wrote the manuscript, and acted as the corresponding author.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mehrdad Abdullahzadeh.

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Conflict of interest

Not applicable.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Ethics No. 392057). This article is a part of the graduate thesis entitled “The effect of a family needs-based program on caregivers’ burden of leukemia patients” in the field of psychiatric nursing registered in the database of clinical trials of Iran with the number of IRCT2013093011895N2.

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All participants took part in the study after giving informed consent.

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Freely given, written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

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Trial registration number: IRCT2013093011895N2. Date of registration: 2014–05-06

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Abdullahzadeh, M., Khosravi, N. Designing a need-based program for relieving psychological distress of family caregivers of leukemia patients: a randomized controlled trial. Support Care Cancer 29, 7601–7610 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06353-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06353-z

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