Psychosocial Interventions for Caregivers of Lung Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

Background: Caregivers to lung cancer patients often face physical, emotional, and financial distress, which not only negatively affects the caregivers’ health and quality of life but may also affect the patients’ well-being. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the content, delivery, and efficacy of psychosocial interventions targeting caregivers of lung cancer patients. Methods: Studies included in this systematic review evaluated a caregiver-based intervention for caregivers of lung cancer patients that were published in English between January 2009 and February 2014, and included burden, coping, stress, or quality of life as outcome measures. CINAHL, PubMed, PsycInfo, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases were searched using the terms (lung cancer OR lung neoplasms OR thoracic cancer) AND (caregiver OR caregiving) AND (intervention OR program) to systematically review the relevant literature on this topic. Results: From the eight studies utilized for this systematic review, interventions were classified into four categories: communication enhancement, coping skills training, stress reduction, and broad-based therapy, which collectively measured a wide range of outcomes, including quality of life and self-efficacy. Nearly all of the interventions led to improvement in one or more outcomes, with communications related interventions showing more significant results. Conclusions: The diverse needs of caregivers of lung cancer patients have a significant impact on their health and quality of life, but this burden can be alleviated with proper support, education, and resources. Findings suggest that healthcare providers should implement an integrated care delivery system that emphasizes communication based intervention strategies.