Coping Strategies and Caregiver Burden Among Family Caregivers of Patients with Cancer

Agustina Rifa; Yohanes Don Bosko Demu

doi:10.70716/mohr.v4i3.754

Authors

Agustina Rifa Department of Nursing, Health Polytechnic of the Ministry of Health at Kupang, Indonesia
Yohanes Don Bosko Demu Department of Nutrition, Health Polytechnic of the Ministry of Health at Kupang, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70716/mohr.v4i3.754

Keywords:

Cancer, Caregiver Burden, Coping Strategies, Family Caregivers, Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Family caregivers of patients with cancer frequently experience physical, psychological, social, and economic burdens throughout the caregiving process. Coping strategies are considered important in managing caregiving-related stress; however, evidence regarding the association between coping strategies and caregiver burden among family caregivers in East Nusa Tenggara remains limited. This study aimed to examine the association between coping strategies and caregiver burden among family caregivers of patients with cancer. A quantitative analytical study with a cross-sectional design was conducted among 90 family caregivers of patients with cancer receiving treatment at Prof. W.Z. Johannes Hospital, Kupang. Participants were selected using random sampling. Coping strategies were assessed using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), whereas caregiver burden was measured using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test with a significance level of 0.05. Most respondents demonstrated adaptive coping strategies (51.1%), while 48.9% used maladaptive coping strategies. More than half of the caregivers experienced a moderate level of caregiver burden (52.2%), followed by mild (33.3%) and severe burden (14.4%). The Chi-square test showed no statistically significant association between coping strategies and caregiver burden (p = 0.955). The findings indicate that caregiver burden among family caregivers of patients with cancer may be influenced by factors beyond coping strategies alone. Comprehensive interventions addressing psychological, social, and contextual factors are therefore needed to support family caregivers and reduce caregiver burden.

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