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Employment status and work-related difficulties among family members of terminally ill patients compared with the general population
- Source :
- Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP. 14(1)
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Background: Although caregiving to patients with terminal illness is known to be a stressful burden to family members, little attention has been focused on work-related problems. We aimed to investigate employment status and work-related difficulties of family caregivers of terminal cancer patients, comparing with the general population. Methods: Using structured questionnaires, we assessed family caregivers of 481 cancer patients determined by physicians to be terminally ill, from 11 university hospitals and the National Cancer Center in Korea. Results: Among 381 family caregivers of terminal cancer patients (response rate, 87.6%), 169 (43.9%) were not working before cancer diagnosis, but currently 233 (63.7%) were not working. Compared with the general population (36.5%), the percentage of not working among the family caregivers was higher (OR=2.39; 95%CI= 1.73-3.29). A major reason for not working was to provide assistance to the patients (71.6%). 40.6% of those who continued working and 32.3% of those who not working family members reported extreme fatigue. Caregivers of old age, those who were female, those with a lower household income, and those caring for patients with a low performance status were not working at a more significant rate. Conclusion: Family caregivers of terminal cancer patients suffer job loss and severe work-related difficulties, probably due to caregiving itself and to fatigue. We need to develop supportive programs to overcome the burden of caregivers of the terminally ill.
- Subjects :
- Male
Cancer Research
medicine.medical_specialty
Time Factors
Epidemiology
Population
MEDLINE
Work related
Sex Factors
Neoplasms
Surveys and Questionnaires
Republic of Korea
Confidence Intervals
Medicine
Humans
Family
education
Fatigue
Aged
Response rate (survey)
education.field_of_study
Terminal Care
Performance status
business.industry
Family caregivers
Salaries and Fringe Benefits
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Age Factors
Cancer
Middle Aged
medicine.disease
Oncology
Caregivers
Unemployment
Family medicine
Household income
Female
business
Stress, Psychological
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 2476762X
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....333752199224fa62eb2bcefdee7c1351