The effect of group training on burden of caregivers of children with cancer

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Pediatrician, Dr. Sheikh Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Professor, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, & Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Assistant Professor of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

4 Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Background 

Caring for a child with cancer is a stressfull experience for parents and can lead to parental burden . Identifying effective factors of caregivers’ burden and designing appropriate strategies to reduce it is necessary . The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of group training on caregivers’ burden of children with cancer.

Method

This was a quasi-experimental study that was performed on thirty parents of children with cancer who were referred to the Sheikh pediatric hospital of Mashhad University. Caregivers' burden questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire was completed before and after group training.The data was compared by spss software.

Results

Mean total score of caregivers’ burden was 44.1 ± 3.5 before and 39.4 ± 5.8 after intervention.Paired t-test showed a significant reduction in the total score of caregivers’ burden after intervention (4.7 ± 0.7) compared to before intervention(p = 0.001). 50% of caregivers had moderate and 50% had severe intensity of burden before intervention. After intervention, 16.7% of the caregivers had a high level of burden and 83.3% of them had moderate. The results indicated that 36.3% of caregivers had reduced burden scale.

Conclusion

Based on the results of this study, group training can reduce the caregivers’ burden scale of children with cancer.

Keywords


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