Benefit-finding profiles and comparison of caregiving ability among informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer: A latent profile analysis

Xiaoyuan Lin; Ziqing Chen; Qi Zhao; Xiaozhou Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.apjon.2024.100480

Benefit-finding profiles and comparison of caregiving ability among informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer: A latent profile analysis

Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 2024 Mar 28;11(5):100480. doi: 10.1016/j.apjon.2024.100480. eCollection 2024 May.

Authors

Xiaoyuan Lin¹, Ziqing Chen¹, Qi Zhao¹, Xiaozhou Zhou²

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.
² Department of Nursing, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the benefit finding (BF) profiles among informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer, identify demographic and disease characteristics, and analyze differences in caregiving ability between profiles.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized convenience sampling to select 272 informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer from a tertiary care hospital in Guangzhou, China. The research instruments used included the Demographic and Disease Characteristics Questionnaire, the revised version of the BF Scale, and the Chinese version of the Family Caregiver Task Inventory. Data analysis was performed using latent profile analysis, chi-square test, Fisher's exact probability test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and multivariate logistic regression.

Results: (1) BF can be divided into three profiles: "high benefit-family and personal growth" (Profile 1, 7.7%), "moderate benefit-unclear perception" (Profile 2, 44.9%), and "low benefit-coping ability deficient" (Profile 3, 47.4%). (2) Having a cocaregiver and a disease duration of 6-12 months were more likely to belong to Profile 1; caregivers of patients aged 40-60 years tended to belong to Profile 2; caregivers of older patients with disease duration > 12 months and clinical stage II or III were more likely to belong to Profile 3. (3) There were significant differences in the total score of caregiving ability and the scores of each dimension among the different BF profiles (P < 0.001), and the caregiving abilities of Profile 1 and Profile 2 were higher than those of Profile 3.

Conclusions: There was heterogeneity in BF among informal caregivers of patients with lung cancer. Healthcare professionals can identify the key profiles of lung-cancer caregivers based on characteristics such as age, clinical stage, disease duration, and cocaregiver status and enhance their caregiving ability through targeted nursing guidance.

Keywords: Benefit finding; Cancer care quality; Cross-sectional study; Latent profile analysis; Psychological nursing.