Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23546537›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2013

Longitudinal associations between caregiver burden and patient and spouse distress in couples coping with lung cancer.

Kathrin Milbury, Hoda Badr, Frank Fossella, Katherine M Pisters, Cindy L Carmack

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
76citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

76 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Review
  9. Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives on Barriers to Mental Health Support for Informal Caregivers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Observational
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Observational

16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Kathrin MilburyDepartment of General Oncology, Unit 642, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1400 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030-4006, USA. kmilbury@mdanderson.org
Hoda Badr
Frank Fossella
Katherine M Pisters
Cindy L Carmack

Funding

Tumor Evolution and Metastasis ProgramP30CA016672 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Scott Kopetz · 1985 to 2026
$290.8M
Couple-Based Mind-Body Program for Lung Cancer Patients and their PartnersK01AT007559 · NCCIH · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI MILBURY, KATHRIN · 2013 to 2017
$652k
Spousal Relationships and Adjustment in Lung CancerR03CA096462 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI CARMACK, CINDY L · 2002 to 2003
$150k
NCCIH NIH HHS K01 AT007559NCI NIH HHS R03 CA096462
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWhile spouses play a vital role in the care of cancer patients, caregiving exerts a physical and psychological toll. Caregiving burden may not only compromise spouses' quality of life but also the quality of care and support they are able to provide. Consequently, spousal caregiving burden may also negatively impact patients' psychological adjustment. However, the effect of caregiving burden on patients' psychological distress is unknown. Thus, this 6-month longitudinal study examined the associations between caregiving burden and distress in both lung cancer patients and their spouses.

methodsPatients and their spouses individually completed questionnaires within 1 month of treatment initiation (baseline) and at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Distress was measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory and caregiving burden with the Caregiver Reaction Assessment.

resultsMultilevel modeling of data from 158 couples revealed that baseline spouses' reports of caregiving-related health problems were significantly associated with 3-month (p < 0.001) and 6-month (p = 0.01) follow-up distress in both patients and spouses even when controlling for baseline distress and dyadic adjustment. Furthermore, there was evidence that baseline spouses' reports of schedule disruption (p = 0.05) predicted 3-month patients' distress and baseline spouses' reports of financial strain (p < 0.05) and lack of support (p < 0.10) predicted their own distress at 6 month.

conclusionCaregiving burden is problematic for both patients and spouses. Couples in which spouses report caregiving-related health problems may be at particular high risk of long-term elevated distress. Targets of future couple-focused interventions such as self-care and use of social support are discussed.

Indexed as

Cost of IllnessAdaptation, PsychologicalAdultAffective SymptomsAgedAged, 80 and overCaregiversCommunicationFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansLongitudinal StudiesLung NeoplasmsMaleMiddle AgedSocial Support

Identifiers

PMID23546537
PMCPMC4428561

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.