Relationships of stress, anxiety, and related factors with the comfort of caregivers of patients with brain tumor in the preoperative phase

Abstract

Background: Brain tumors is a disease that seriously threatens life. It directly impacts patients with brain tumors and caregivers. Previous literature examined the relationship between stress and anxiety in caregivers of patients with a brain tumor. However, to date, the relationships of stress, anxiety, and related factors with comfort for caregivers of patients with brain tumors in the preoperative phase, using a framework derived from the Commonsense Model of Illness Representation, had not yet been examined.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationships of stress, anxiety, and related factors with comfort of caregivers for patients with a brain tumor in the preoperative phase.

Methods: Ninety-four caregivers of patients with a brain tumor were recruited from an in-patient department of a tertiary care hospital, Bangkok. Data were collected, using questionnaires composed of demographic information, information received, comfort after receiving information, stress, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y-1. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and Spearman’s Rank correlation were used to analyze the data.

Results: The results revealed that most subjects had moderate anxiety and tended to be more stressful. The subjects moderately received information regarding brain tumors and reported more comfort. There was a negative relationship between anxiety and comfort after receiving information (r = - 0.36; P < 0.001). There were no relationships of age, educational level, stress, and information-receiving with comfort. There was no relationship between information receiving and comfort.

Conclusions: The findings of this current study could be directly applied to help screen caregivers’ understanding and to receive tailored information which is helpful to decrease anxiety and stress for caregivers in the future.