Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan 10:13:1020517.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1020517. eCollection 2022.

Effect of caregiver burden on anticipatory grief among caregivers of elderly cancer patients: Chain mediation role of family functioning and resilience

Caiyue Li  1 , Nan Tang  1 , Lili Yang  1 , Qing Zeng  1 , Tana Yu  1 , Xiaojin Pu  2 , Juan Wang  3 , Hongchen Zhang  1
Affiliations

Effect of caregiver burden on anticipatory grief among caregivers of elderly cancer patients: Chain mediation role of family functioning and resilience

Caiyue Li et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the relationship between caregiver burden and anticipatory grief among caregivers of elderly cancer patients, and to examine the chain mediation effects of family functioning and resilience. A total of 624 valid questionnaires were collected. The Structural Equation Model was established to test the mediating effects of family functioning and resilience. Results showed that caregiver burden has a direct positive effect on anticipatory grief, both family functioning and resilience have negative effects on caregiver burden and anticipatory grief, and that resilience moderates the mediating effect of family functioning. Our findings suggest that reducing the caregiver burden among caregivers of elderly cancer patients, improving family functioning, and enhancing resilience have important effects in alleviating the anticipatory grief of caregivers. Our findings provide some references for further research. Medical staff should better understand the grief experience of caregivers and implement interventions to enable caregivers to better cope with anticipatory grief and psychological stress, so as to promote the quality of care for elderly cancer patients.

Keywords: anticipatory grief; cancer; caregiver burden; caregivers; family functioning; resilience.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A hypothetical model of the relationship between variables. Influence of caregiver burden on anticipatory grief through family functioning and resilience.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The Structural Equation Model linking caregiver burden and anticipatory grief through family functioning and resilience. Factors loadings are standardized. FL = feeling of loss, DA = decreased ability to function at usual tasks.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Al-Gamal E., Long T. (2010). Anticipatory grieving among parents living with a child with cancer. J. Adv. Nurs. 66, 1980–1990. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05381.x, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Al-Gamal E., Long T. (2014). The MM-CGI cerebral palsy: modification and pretesting of an instrument to measure anticipatory grief in parents whose child has cerebral palsy. J. Clin. Nurs. 23, 1810–1819. doi: 10.1111/jocn.12218, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arizmendi B. J., O’Connor M. F. (2015). What is “normal” in grief? Aust. Crit. Care 28, 58–62. doi: 10.1016/j.aucc.2015.01.005, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Axelsson L., Alvariza A., Holm M., Arestedt K. (2020). Intensity of predeath grief and postdeath grief of family caregivers in palliative care in relation to preparedness for caregiving, caregiver burden, and social support. Palliat. Med. Rep. 1, 191–200. doi: 10.1089/pmr.2020.0033, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baker F. R. L., Baker K. L., Burrell J. (2021). Introducing the skills-based model of personal resilience: drawing on content and process factors to build resilience in the workplace. J. Occup. Organ. Psychol. 94, 458–481. doi: 10.1111/joop.12340 - DOI

LinkOut - more resources