Table 7. Caregiver Quality of Life (QOL).
| Baseline (control, n = 123; intervention, n = 117) |
1 month (control, n = 97; intervention, n = 86) |
F (df) | p value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group | Mean | SD | Mean | SD | |||
| QOL: Physical well-being | 1.58 (1,181) | .21 | |||||
| Concerns of overall health | Control | 5.2 | 2.98 | 5.7 | 2.88 | ||
| Intervention | 5.6 | 3.16 | 5.6 | 2.66 | |||
| Fatigue | Control | 5.4 | 2.92 | 5.7 | 2.96 | ||
| Intervention | 5.4 | 2.93 | 5.9 | 2.69 | |||
| Appetite changes | Control | 7.1 | 3.02 | 7.5 | 2.80 | ||
| Intervention | 7.2 | 2.98 | 7.4 | 2.71 | |||
| Pain or aches | Control | 6.6 | 2.92 | 6.5 | 3.08 | ||
| Intervention | 6.5 | 2.94 | 6.6 | 2.78 | |||
| Sleep changes | Control | 5.8 | 3.25 | 6.5 | 2.93 | ||
| Intervention | 5.1 | 3.05 | 5.9 | 2.99 | |||
| QOL: physical well-being scale score | Control | 30.1 | 11.99 | 31.4 | 12.05 | ||
| Intervention | 29.8 | 11.66 | 31.4 | 10.63 | |||
| QOL: Psychological well-being | 6.21 (1,181) | .01* | |||||
| Difficulty coping as a result of family member’s disease and treatment | Control | 5.4 | 2.64 | 5.6 | 2.84 | ||
| Intervention | 5.2 | 2.74 | 5.5 | 2.78 | |||
| Overall quality of life | Control | 6.2 | 2.55 | 6.1 | 2.38 | ||
| Intervention | 6.5 | 2.48 | 6.3 | 2.35 | |||
| How unhappy | Control | 5.9 | 2.79 | 5.9 | 2.58 | ||
| Intervention | 6.0 | 2.40 | 6.0 | 2.48 | |||
| Feel like have lost control | Control | 6.0 | 3.21 | 6.0 | 3.03 | ||
| Intervention | 6.2 | 2.85 | 6.5 | 2.57 | |||
| How unsatisfying is life | Control | 6.5 | 2.57 | 6.3 | 2.56 | ||
| Intervention | 6.7 | 2.59 | 6.5 | 2.39 | |||
| Present ability to concentrate or remember things | Control | 6.1 | 2.88 | 6.2 | 2.80 | ||
| Intervention | 6.1 | 2.73 | 6.1 | 2.54 | |||
| Feelings of uselessness | Control | 7.4 | 2.71 | 7.2 | 2.66 | ||
| Intervention | 7.2 | 2.74 | 7.0 | 2.63 | |||
| How distressing was family member’s initial diagnosis | Control | 1.4 | 2.20 | 1.6 | 2.46 | ||
| Intervention | 1.4 | 2.22 | 1.7 | 2.48 | |||
| How distressing were family member’s cancer treatments | Control | 3.2 | 2.90 | 3.6 | 2.79 | ||
| Intervention | 3.1 | 2.79 | 3.3 | 2.45 | |||
| How much anxiety | Control | 4.8 | 2.93 | 5.3 | 2.87 | ||
| Intervention | 4.9 | 2.76 | 5.2 | 2.56 | |||
| How much depression | Control | 6.6 | 3.02 | 6.5 | 2.93 | ||
| Intervention | 6.4 | 2.75 | 6.6 | 2.65 | |||
| Fearful of the spreading of family member’s cancer | Control | 3.1 | 3.77 | 3.2 | 3.59 | ||
| Intervention | 2.9 | 3.48 | 3.1 | 3.39 | |||
| Concerns about overall psychological well being | Control | 7.1 | 2.88 | 7.1 | 3.03 | ||
| Intervention | 6.9 | 2.67 | 7.1 | 2.59 | |||
| QOL: psychological well-being scale score | Control | 69.7 | 25.81 | 70.5 | 26.10 | ||
| Intervention | 69.4 | 23.06 | 71.0 | 23.80 | |||
| QOL: Social concerns | 1.61 (1,181) | .20 | |||||
| How distressing has family member’s illness been for your family | Control | 2.9 | 2.78 | 3.2 | 2.71 | ||
| Intervention | 3.0 | 2.66 | 3.5 | 2.66 | |||
| Amount of support has been sufficient | Control | 6.3 | 3.30 | 5.8 | 3.19 | ||
| Intervention | 6.6 | 2.88 |
6.4 | 2.73 | |||
| Degree which family member’s illness has interfered with personal relationships | Control | 6.5 | 3.42 | 6.0 | 3.36 | ||
| Intervention | 6.2 | 3.33 | 5.8 | 3.09 | |||
| Degree to which family members illness has interfered with sexuality | Control | 5.2 | 4.13 | 4.9 | 4.15 | ||
| Intervention | 4.7 | 4.27 | 4.2 | 3.80 | |||
| Degree to which family member’s illness has interfered with employment | Control | 6.5 | 3.81 | 6.3 | 3.89 | ||
| Intervention | 6.6 | 3.71 | 6.8 | 3.50 | |||
| Degree to which family member’s illness interfered with activities at home | Control | 5.5 | 3.06 | 5.8 | 2.98 | ||
| Intervention | 5.6 | 3.17 | 5.6 | 3.06 | |||
| Isolation caused by family member’s illness | Control | 6.4 | 3.19 | 6.3 | 3.34 | ||
| Intervention | 6.6 | 3.16 | 6.5 | 3.05 | |||
| Financial burden from family member’s illness | Control | 6.2 | 3.44 | 5.8 | 3.70 | ||
| Intervention | 5.5 | 3.29 | 5.8 | 3.45 | |||
| Overall social well-being | Control | 6.3 | 2.85 | 6.5 | 2.69 | ||
| Intervention | 6.5 | 2.68 | 6.7 | 2.44 | |||
| QOL: social concerns scale score | Control | 51.8 | 20.71 | 50.5 | 20.22 | ||
| Intervention | 51.4 | 18.95 | 51.4 | 19.82 | |||
| QOL: Spiritual well-being | 4.96 (1,181) | .02* | |||||
| Support from religious activities is sufficient | Control | 7.4 | 3.33 | 7.4 | 3.14 | ||
| Intervention | 7.5 | 3.33 | 7.3 | 3.23 | |||
| Support from personal spiritual activities is sufficient | Control | 7.8 | 2.97 | 7.8 | 2.81 | ||
| Intervention | 7.6 | 3.08 | 7.9 | 2.53 | |||
| Uncertainty felt about family member’s future | Control | 3.8 | 3.46 | 3.8 | 3.36 | ||
| Intervention | 4.1 | 3.32 | 4.2 | 3.33 | |||
| Family member’s illness has had negative changes in your life | Control | 5.9 | 3.43 | 5.8 | 3.56 | ||
| Intervention | 5.7 | 3.10 | 5.9 | 3.05 | |||
| Feel purpose/mission in life | Control | 8.5 | 2.34 | 8.4 | 2.32 | ||
| Intervention | 8.6 | 2.30 | 8.6 | 1.93 | |||
| Feel hopeless | Control | 7.8 | 2.63 | 7.7 | 2.61 | ||
| Intervention | 7.7 | 2.71 | 7.5 | 2.70 | |||
| Overall spiritual well-being | Control | 7.9 | 2.47 | 7.5 | 2.75 | ||
| Intervention | 8.0 | 2.53 | 8.0 | 2.19 | |||
| QOL: spiritual well-being scale score | Control | 49.0 | 14.49 | 48.4 | 15.17 | ||
| Intervention | 49.2 | 13.86 | 49.3 | 13.04 | |||
| Overall QOL score | Control | 200.6 | 64.17 | 200.9 | 65.80 | 5.97 (1, 181) | .01* |
| Intervention | 199.8 | 57.77 | 203.1 | 58.41 | |||
Note. * = statistically significant.