Effectiveness of educational intervention on coping strategy and quality of life among primary caregivers of breast cancer patients in Jordan

Breast cancer (BC) is a significant health issue that affects individuals regardless of culture, race, gender, and economic and social status. The impact of BC is not only limited to the quality of life (QOL) and coping strategies among women but also their primary caregivers (PCs). The care of women with BC includes physical, psychological, social, and environmental aspects and their ability to utilise positive coping strategies, i.e., problem- and emotion-focused strategies. Studies have demonstrated that the psychosocial well-being of caregivers of patients undergoing care and treatment for BC in Jordan has received scant attention. Although this group of people is confronted with psychological challenges, there are no interventions in place to cater to their requirements. This study aims to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to improve coping strategies and QOL among PCs for BC women in Jordan. The PCs were evaluated for 12 weeks at the beginning of the study. The study was a randomised controlled trial with two arms: the control group, who received standard treatment alone, and the intervention group, who received an intervention programme in addition to standard care. The intervention was implemented to assess its impact. Multiple variables were analysed during three distinct periods. The study was conducted in selected public hospitals in Jordan. A prior power analysis was performed to determine the sample size based on a comparative study. A total of 31 PCs were selected from each hospital using inclusion eligibility, totalling 124. Data were collected in three phases: baseline, post-test, and 12-week follow-up. The multi-teaching topics covered in the educational intervention were introduction and information about BC and assisting the participants in adjusting to being a primary caregiver, problem-focused strategy, emotion-focused strategy, and QOL domains and practical care. The sessions were held on a single day and lasted between 30 and 60 minutes. SPSS version 23.0 was used to analyse the data. Sociodemographic characteristics, overall QOL, and physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains did not differ significantly between the groups at baseline. However, post-intervention comparisons revealed a significant mean difference between the intervention and control groups for overall QOL. These findings reflect the effectiveness of an educational intervention utilising multi-teaching strategies and comprehensive components in improving QOL and coping strategies among PCs for women with BC in Jordan. Policymakers could utilise and implement the low-cost educational intervention with significant effects on the QOL and coping strategies among PCs in public hospitals in Jordan. The provision of intervention programmes for caregivers necessitates additional research to develop programmes and services that are contextually specific and will improve the QOL of PCs. It is important to provide suitable supportive interventions to assist the immediate family members of BC patients to lessen the strain on caregivers. Key stakeholders in the healthcare industry, particularly in palliative care, should actively advocate for increased awareness of the needs of caregivers. Additional research is needed to provide intervention programmes and services tailored to the individual needs of PCs to enhance their QOL.

Text FPSK (p) 2024 13 - Declaration Form.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (422kB) Text FPSK (p) 2024 13 - Full Text.pdf Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (22MB) Text FPSK (p) 2024 13.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (22MB)

Actions (login required)

View Item