Caring for the caregiver while caring for the patient: exploring the dyadic relationship between patient spirituality and caregiver quality of life

Caregivers of cancer patients experience much psychological stress due to the heavy responsibility of caregiving. Dyadic studies on the patient-caregiver relationship have shown that caregivers' quality of life (QOL) are affected by their care recipients' psychological variables. In this exploratory study, focus is placed on spirituality in patients-an emerging area of interest-and its impact on their caregivers' QOL. Because of spirituality's links with optimism and resilience, they were also investigated as possible mediators in the dyadic relationship. Patients completed measures of spirituality (FACIT-Sp-12), optimism (LOT-R), and resilience (RAS); their family caregivers completed a measure of QOL (CQOLC). Both patients and family caregivers completed a sociodemographic survey. Regression analyses were used to analysis the data. Regression analyses following Baron and Kenny's (1986) mediation framework was carried out. Results indicated that spirituality as a whole did not predict caregiver QOL. However, further analyses showed that while the meaning-making aspect of spirituality did predict caregiver QOL, the faith aspect did not. Mediatory analyses indicated that both optimism and resilience were not mediators; hence, confirmatory Sobel's tests which had been originally planned were not conducted. Nonetheless, optimism and resilience were correlated with meaning-making. Patients who make meaning of their cancer illness exert a positive influence on their caregivers' well-being. This provides support for interventions that encourage patients to reappraise their illness situation, as such interventions not only benefit patients but also enhance the quality of life for their caregivers.