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Support after brain tumor means different things : family caregivers' experiences of support and relationship changes
Ownsworth, Tamara Goadby, Elizabeth Chambers, Suzanne
Ownsworth, Tamara
Goadby, Elizabeth
Chambers, Suzanne
Abstract
Shorter hospital stays and greater emphasis on outpatient care means that family members have the primary responsibility for supporting a person with brain tumor to manage the physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional effects of the illness and its treatment. Given the integral role of family caregivers, it is essential to understand their experience of the impact of brain tumor and their own support needs. Accordingly, this qualitative study aimed to investigate family caregivers’ experiences of support and relationship changes in the context of brain tumor. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 family caregivers (8 spouse/partner, 3 parents) of people with malignant or benign tumor. A thematic analysis of interview transcripts identified two major themes, namely, “Meanings of Support” and “Relationship Impacts.” The Meanings of Support theme was characterized by intertwined and distinct support needs, varied expectations of support and factors influencing support expectations. The Relationship Impacts theme depicted mixed experiences of strengthened, maintained, and strained relations with the person with brain tumor. Overall, the findings highlight that there is considerable variability in caregivers’ experiences and expectations of support and the impact of brain tumor on relationships. The implications of these findings for the provision of caregiver support are discussed.
Keywords
family caregivers, brain tumor, support, relationships, qualitative research
Date
2015
Type
Journal article
Journal
Book
Volume
5
Issue
Page Range
1-13
Article Number
ACU Department
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open
Notes
© 2015 Ownsworth, Goadby and Chambers.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
The authors wish to thank the Cancer Council Queensland for their funding and support with recruitment in this study
The authors wish to thank the Cancer Council Queensland for their funding and support with recruitment in this study