CANCER AND CAREGIVING - THE IMPACT ON THE CAREGIVERS HEALTH

A diagnosis of cancer affects not only the patient but also their sign ificant others, especially when a lot of care tasks are involved. Some caregivers perceive the care as a burden, while others consider it a challenge. In this article, findings concerning the impact of cancer c aregiving on informal caregivers will be described. No consistent resu lts are reported, and little is known about patterns of caregiving cha nges in relation to the course of the patient's illness. Attention wil l be given to factors which have been identified as influencing the co urse and consequences of caregiving. These factors form the basis of a conceptual research model for caregivers of cancer patients. As cance r progresses, care tasks are generated, which can be perceived by the caregiver as either negative (i.e. burden) or positive. Furthermore, t hese caregiver experiences may lead to negative as well as positive ef fects on the caregiver's health and these relationships can be assumed to be bidirectional. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.