ReviewFrontiers in psychology2026
Psychological capital in cancer patients and family caregivers: determinants, measurement, outcomes, and intervention strategies.
Review in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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8 authors.
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Abstract
Background: As cancer care increasingly extends into outpatient, community and home settings, patients and family caregivers must manage prolonged uncertainty, treatment toxicity, financial strain and role disruption. Psychological capital (PsyCap), comprising self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience, offers a strengths-based framework for understanding adaptation in cancer care. Objective: To synthesize and conceptually integrate the literature on PsyCap in adult cancer patients, family caregivers and patient-caregiver dyads, with particular attention to determinants, measurement approaches, associated outcomes and intervention strategies relevant to supportive oncology. Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted to synthesize the literature on psychological capital (PsyCap) among cancer patients and family caregivers. A structured database search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL and PsycINFO, supplemented by citation tracking. Publications addressing the conceptualization, determinants, measurement, outcomes and intervention strategies of PsyCap in cancer care were included. The findings were synthesized narratively using an evidence-mapping approach. Results: Seventy publications were included in the synthesis. The evidence suggests that composite PsyCap, as well as its individual component resources (resilience, hope, optimism, and self-efficacy), are associated with psychological adjustment, coping, self-management, and quality of life among cancer patients, while similar associations have been reported among caregivers. PsyCap appears to be influenced by multiple clinical and contextual factors, including symptom burden, treatment demands, uncertainty, financial stress, and caregiving responsibilities. Direct measurement of PsyCap as a higher-order construct remains relatively uncommon, and caregiver-focused and dyadic assessments are limited. Intervention studies indicate that mindfulness-based programs, positive psychological interventions informed by the PERMA model (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment), exercise and body-mind practices, and dyadic or family-based approaches may strengthen PsyCap-related resources and improve psychosocial outcomes. However, most interventions have not explicitly evaluated PsyCap as a primary outcome. Conclusion: PsyCap provides a useful framework for understanding positive psychological adaptation in cancer care. Existing evidence suggests that PsyCap may represent a modifiable target for supportive oncology interventions and may operate at both individual and relational levels. Future research should prioritize oncology-specific measurement approaches, longitudinal investigations, caregiver and dyadic research, and rigorously designed intervention studies that directly assess PsyCap outcomes.
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