Abstract
BackgroundFamilies of cancer patients in the ICU often experience severe stress. Understanding their experience is important for providing family-centered care during this difficult period. Little is known about the experience of families of cancer patients admitted to the ICU. This study evaluated the prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among families of cancer patients admitted to the ICU.MethodsWe carried out a longitudinal study at a teaching and advanced treatment hospital. Participants were 23 family members of 23 ICU patients. Family members provided demographic data, electronic medical records of patients, and completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form X (STAI-state, trait).ResultsMean total IES-R total score, IES-R re-experience score, IES-R avoidance score, and STAI-state score within 24 h of ICU admission and 3 months later differed significantly. The IES-R score of families of patients with recurrent cancer was significantly higher than the score of families of patients with an original cancer diagnosis (t = 2.63, p = 0.029). For two-way analysis of variance, time point was significantly associated with IES-R score (F = 1.751, p = 0.011, df = [1]).ConclusionsFamilies of recurrent cancer patients admitted to the ICU experience serious PTSS within 24 h of admission. It is important that appropriate psychiatric support be provided to family members of these patients.
Highlights
Families of cancer patients in the ICU often experience severe stress
Few studies have quantitatively analyzed the psychiatric stress of family members of cancer patients admitted to the ICU with recurrent disease
The percentage of family members whose Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) scores were above the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) high-risk threshold of 25 was 21.7 % (5 of 23) at T1 and 11.1 % (2 of 18) at T2
Summary
Families of cancer patients in the ICU often experience severe stress. Little is known about the experience of families of cancer patients admitted to the ICU. Some studies reported that families of patients in the ICU with cancer in Japan have psychiatric stress [9]. Families of patients with recurrent cancer experienced more severe psychological shock than families of patients with original cancer at a general ward in Japan and Spain [10, 11] The results of these studies may indicate that families of patients admitted to the ICU with recurrent cancer may experience a severe psychological burden. Few studies have quantitatively analyzed the psychiatric stress of family members of cancer patients admitted to the ICU with recurrent disease
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