Caregiving Role Adjustment and Dyadic Mutuality

Clinical Center

Investigators

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore family caregiver and patient mutual negotiation of roles and responsibilities by gaining insight into the social experience of cancer family caregiving that will have application to practice and guide further study. Phase I of this study involves both qualitative (interview) and quantitative methods (questionnaire). This study is considered an off site study (NIH CC registration not required). The study was approved by the IRB on September 15, 2015, by the NHLBI IRB. Recruitment began in February 2016; the 1st subject was enrolled in March 2016. Since March 2016, N=37 cancer patients were screened for participation. A total of 24 subjects (n=12 dyads) have been enrolled and all have completed Phase I study participation. A mixed methods analysis, Phase I, is currently underway. Due to changes in investigator status and pending analysis from Phase I of the study, a request to close the study to enrollment; open for data analysis only was submitted to the IRB. Phase II of the study was originally written to further explore quantitative measures of individual caregiver and patient as well as dyadic well-being with regard to role adjustment and mutuality. A particular focus was to be on dyads who are flourishing and those who are collaborating, to determine what they are doing differently. If this objective is deemed important after the data from Phase I are disseminated, a new study would be designed for this specific purpose.