Assessing Compassion Fatigue in Family Caregivers of Cancer Patients

Cancer causes significant stress to patients and their families. The family’s role as the patient’s support system is crucial, but long-term caregiving can lead to compassion fatigue, negatively impacting their quality of life and caregiving ability. This study aims to understand the quality of life of caregivers through the assessment of the compassion fatigue (CF) levels of family caregivers of cancer patients. One hundred family caregivers of cancer patients undergoing treatment at Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Bhopal, were asked to respond to the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5. The scale was made available in both Hindi and English for the participant’s linguistic comfort. Their Compassion Satisfaction (CS), Burnout (BO), and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) were assessed, with focus on BO and STS for analysis as components of CF. The average level of CS was high (M = 43.90, SD = 4.25), BO (M = 23.52, SD = 5.65) and STS (M = 30.00, SD = 8.01) were both moderate (n=100). According to the ProQOL manual’s interpretation guidelines, the obtained results were the most positive outcome associated with caregiving. In the given sample, on average, people experienced positive reinforcement from caregiving. Participant interaction during data collection revealed motivations for caregiving were often familial duty and love. Targeted interventions to mitigate CF, enhancing support programs building on the high CS, awareness of the potential aspects of QOL for care providers which allow for recognition of support systems.