Mediating Role of Coping Styles in the Relationship Between Caregivers’ Burden of Cancer Patients and their Psychological Well-being

Abstract

This study is aimed to investigate the mediating role of coping styles between the relationship of caregivers’ burden and psychological well-being of cancer patients. Correlational research design was used to accomplish this study. Survey was conducted to collect the data. Sample of 319 caregivers was selected through purposive sampling technique. Data were collected from Combined Military Hospital Multan and Multan Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology Hospital situated in the city of Multan, Pakistan. Three research instruments were used to measure study variables. The Caregiver’s Burden Scale (Shroff, 2014); The Caregiver Well-Being Scale (Berg-Weger et al., 2000) and the brief COPE Scale (Carver, 1997). Results reveal that psychological well-being of caregivers was negatively correlated with caregivers’ burden. Moreover, psychological well-being was negatively predicted by caregivers’ burden. Furthermore, study suggested that problem-focused coping style significantly mediates the relationship of caregivers’ burden and psychological well-being. Female caregivers feel more burden of care as compared to male. Comparatively, male caregivers showed the higher level of psychological well-being than females. In addition, results reveal that married caregivers of cancer patients were found with more burden of care than unmarried. Psychological well-being was reported greater among unmarried caregivers than married.