Spirituality

Spirituality is a critical resource for family caregivers of patients with cancer. However, studies on spirituality are hampered because measures of spirituality lack consistency and have not been validated in cancer caregivers. This study examined the validity of the Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS) among cancer caregivers and explored whether measurement bias may influence differences in spirituality across caregiver and patient characteristics. In this secondary analysis, 124 caregivers of cancer patients were used to evaluate the validity of the 10‐item SPS.

Background: Spirituality can give meaning to life, providing support and guidance in complex situations. Despite its importance in palliative care, the role of spirituality for family caregivers of patients under exclusive palliative care has not received enough attention in the literature. We aimed to address the correlation between spirituality and the emotional burden of family members of patients under exclusive palliative care. Methods: This transversal study was conducted in a tertiary private teaching hospital, in Saõ Paulo, Brazil.

The lives of healthy and sick people are structured according to a variety of conceptual matrices. One of these matrixes consists of philosophical, spiritual, and religious convictions, being this especially relevant in the process of the end of life. The objective of the study is to understand the meaning that individuals at the end of life and the relatives of such individuals award spiritual and/or religious beliefs through an examination of caregiver narratives. Multicentric study was developed that used a qualitative design and a phenomenological approach.

Background: Spiritual care is integral to palliative care. It engenders a sense of purpose, meaning, and connectedness to the sacred or important and may support caregiver well-being. Aim: To examine caregivers’ spirituality, religiosity, spiritual well-being, and views on spiritual/religious support. Design: A mixed-methods study across 4 Australian sites, recruiting caregivers of patients with a life expectancy of under 12 months.

Objective: Informal caregiving may likely increase as the number of cancer survivors grows. Caregiving responsibilities can impact caregivers' quality of life (QOL). Understanding the current state of the science regarding caregiving QOL could help inform future research and intervention development.; Methods: A systematic literature review in PubMed/Medline examined research on QOL among informal cancer caregivers and related psychosocial health outcomes.

Family caregivers experience multiple transitions, resolutions, loss, and grief where their search for meaning becomes evident. Spirituality is an important dimension of palliative care, yet little attention has been given to this important aspect of spirituality especially among the family caregivers in a hospice setting. The study aimed to bring the hidden voices of family caregivers, their own spiritual experiences caring for their dying patients in a hospice setting, to guide and direct the care practices of health care professionals.

Review Question: What are the spiritual aspects of family caregivers' experiences when caring for a community-dwelling adult with severe mental illness?;

Individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) often exhibit behavioral and psychological symptoms of distress that can contribute to the strain experienced by their family caregivers. This strain can increase levels of stress for family caregivers and reduce quality of life, which can have a negative impact on physical health and wellbeing for both the caregiver and the person with ADRD. This study used blogs written by family caregivers of persons with ADRD to explore self-care strategies practiced by these caregivers.

Objective: To understand the spiritual needs of the patients' family caregiver under Oncology palliative care. Method: A descriptive, qualitative study with 20 family caregivers of patients hospitalized in an Oncology palliative unit. The data were collected through a phenomenological interview, and analyzed by the method of Amadeo Giorgi supported in the Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception.

In many parts of the world family members are the primary caretakers of persons with mental illness. The chronic stress associated with being a caregiver for an individual with schizophrenia can result in a variety of emotional responses, influenced by religion, spirituality and different styles of coping. The aim of this study was to assess patterns of coping, and spiritual and religious beliefs among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia. Consecutive patients with schizophrenia and their caregivers attending an outpatient clinic were recruited.