Caregiving strain is associated with cardiac autonomic imbalance in primary oncology caregivers: A cross-sectional analytical study

Objectives: Oncology caregivers often endure a significant amount of psychosocial stress while going through the experience of caregiving for their dependents. Exposure to chronic stress disrupts the cardiac autonomic balance and increases the risk of cardiovascular events. There is a paucity of research on the association between caregiving strain and cardiac autonomic status of primary oncology caregivers. This study aimed to assess the cardiac autonomic balance and its association with the levels of perceived strain and quality of life (QOL) of primary oncology caregivers. Materials and Methods: Forty-six individuals (30 males and 16 females) who have been primary caregivers of patients under the treatment for cancer at the Regional Cancer Centre over the past 3 months–1 year were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Cardiac autonomic status was assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) technique. The level of strain perceived and QOL of the study participants were assessed using the Modified Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI) and Caregiver QOL-Cancer (CQOL-C) questionnaires, respectively. Comparison of study parameters based on MCSI scores (low strain vs. moderate-high strain) was done using the Independent Student’s t-test. Spearman rank correlation coefficient test was performed to assess the correlation between sympathovagal balance (Low frequency [LF]/high frequency [HF]) and other study parameters. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to predict the LF/HF ratio with independent variables MCSI score and CQOL-C score. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Significantly high blood pressure, LF power, LF nu (LF normalised units) and LF/HF ratio were observed among caregivers with moderate-to-high caregiving strain as compared to those with low strain levels, while significantly low HF nu (HF normalised units) and CQOL-C scores were noted among the moderate-to-high caregiving strain subgroup as compared to the low caregiving strain subgroup. LF/HF ratio revealed a significant positive correlation with the level of caregiving strain (r = 0.563, P < 0.001) and a significant negative correlation with the QOL (r = ?0.489, P = 0.001) of caregivers. However, on regression analysis, the level of caregiving strain was found to be a significant predictor of autonomic dysfunction unlike the caregivers’ QOL. Conclusion: Increased caregiving strain is associated with cardiac autonomic imbalance in primary oncology caregivers.

Quality of life among young women with breast cancer: Study from a tertiary cancer institute in south India.

Background : The incidence of breast cancer in young patients less than 35 years is less than 1%. The physical and psychosocial morbidity may affect their ability to successfully function in their social roles. Hence we studied the quality of life (QOL) issues in this subset. Materials and Methods :Younger women with age less than 35 years, diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer at our Institute, from 1995 to 2005, were included in the study. Quality of life issues were studied during the follow-up using EORTC QOL C30 and BR23. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in order to analyze the data. Results : A total of 51 patients were included for the study. The mean age at diagnosis was 30 years. The effect of breast cancer on the occupation and marital status was minimal. The global health status and the functional scores were high, while the overall sexual function was lower. The global health status was higher in the mastectomy group. The arm symptoms (P = 0.027) and pain were higher in the Breast conservation surgery (BCS) group. The sexual symptoms appeared to be higher in the ovary ablated group when compared to the ovary preserved group. The sexual functional scores (P = 0.02) and sexual enjoyment scores (P = 0.003) were better in the mastectomy group. Conclusion : The overall QOL in younger patients with breast cancer appeared to be good. The QOL and sexual function were marginally worse in the breast conservation group when compared to mastectomy group.