Benefit-finding profiles and comparison of caregiving ability among informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer: A latent profile analysis

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the benefit finding (BF) profiles among informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer, identify demographic and disease characteristics, and analyze differences in caregiving ability between profiles.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized convenience sampling to select 272 informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer from a tertiary care hospital in Guangzhou, China. The research instruments used included the Demographic and Disease Characteristics Questionnaire, the revised version of the BF Scale, and the Chinese version of the Family Caregiver Task Inventory. Data analysis was performed using latent profile analysis, chi-square test, Fisher's exact probability test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and multivariate logistic regression.

Results: (1) BF can be divided into three profiles: "high benefit-family and personal growth" (Profile 1, 7.7%), "moderate benefit-unclear perception" (Profile 2, 44.9%), and "low benefit-coping ability deficient" (Profile 3, 47.4%). (2) Having a cocaregiver and a disease duration of 6-12 months were more likely to belong to Profile 1; caregivers of patients aged 40-60 years tended to belong to Profile 2; caregivers of older patients with disease duration > 12 months and clinical stage II or III were more likely to belong to Profile 3. (3) There were significant differences in the total score of caregiving ability and the scores of each dimension among the different BF profiles (P < 0.001), and the caregiving abilities of Profile 1 and Profile 2 were higher than those of Profile 3.

Conclusions: There was heterogeneity in BF among informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer. Healthcare professionals can identify the key profiles of lung-cancer caregivers based on characteristics such as age, clinical stage, disease duration, and cocaregiver status and enhance their caregiving ability through targeted nursing guidance.

Keywords: Benefit finding; Cancer care quality; Cross-sectional study; Latent profile analysis; Psychological nursing.

Fig. 1

Response rate of the three profiles across the 22 items.

Fig. 2

Profiles' predictive factors. Note: ∗ Denotes the reference category; profile 1 (high benefit–family and personal growth), profile 2 (moderate benefit–unclear perception), profile 3 (low benefit–coping ability deficient), OR (Odds Ratio), 95% CI (Confidence Interval).

Fig. 3

Comparison of caregiving ability scores and each dimension. FCTI, Family Caregiver Task Inventory.

Fig. 4

Multiple comparisons of BF profiles on total caregiving ability score. BF, benefit finding; FCTI, Family Caregiver Task Inventory.