Evaluation of Spiritual Health and Social Support in Family Caregivers of Cancer Patients in North of Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: Today, the role of family members in caring for cancer patients is becoming more important. Numerous cancer-associated problems affect both the patients and their caregivers. Little information is available about the social support and spiritual health of caregivers of cancer patients; therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the spiritual health and social support status of family caregivers of cancer patients in northeastern Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 265 family caregivers of cancer patients. The subjects were selected by convenience sampling from inpatient wards and outpatient clinics of Babol University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Data were collected using the Social Support Questionnaire (by Vaux), the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (by Paloutzian and Ellison), and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results: The mean scores of social support and spiritual health of family caregivers of cancer patients were 98.86±14.58 and 91.32±11.97, respectively, which are at a desirable level. The age of caregivers and the duration of cancer had no significant relationship with the score of spiritual health and social support. Conclusion: According to our findings, family caregivers of cancer patients have a desirable level of social support and spiritual health.

Keywords

• neoplasms
• social support
• health
• caregivers
• patients