Mental health struggles and coping strategies of individuals facing terminal illness of a loved one: A survey in a tertiary care hospital of Kolkata, West Bengal.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος:	Mental health struggles and coping strategies of individuals facing terminal illness of a loved one: A survey in a tertiary care hospital of Kolkata, West Bengal.
Συγγραφείς:	Jha T; Department of Community Medicine, Medical College Kolkata, Kolkata, India., Azmi MO; Department of General Medicine, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India., Mal S; Department of Community Medicine, Medical College Kolkata, Kolkata, India., Shaw S; Department of Community Medicine, Medical College Kolkata, Kolkata, India., Banerjee A; Department of Community Medicine, JIS School of Medical Science and Research, Santragachi, Howrah, India., Chakraborty A; Department of Community Medicine, Medical College Kolkata, Kolkata, India.
Πηγή:	Palliative & supportive care [Palliat Support Care] 2026 Oct 08; Vol. 24, pp. e251. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Oct 08.
Τύπος έκδοσης:	Journal Article
Γλώσσα:	English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού:	Publisher: Cambridge University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101232529 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1478-9523 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14789515 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Palliat Support Care Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):	Original Publication: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, c2003-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH):	Caregivers/psychology , Terminally Ill/psychology , Adaptation, Psychological*, Tertiary Care Centers/organization & administration ; Tertiary Care Centers/statistics & numerical data ; Stress, Psychological/psychology ; Stress, Psychological/etiology ; Depression/psychology ; Depression/etiology ; Psychometrics/instrumentation ; Psychometrics/methods ; Humans ; Male ; India ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Female ; Coping Skills ; Middle Aged ; Surveys and Questionnaires
Περίληψη:	Objectives: Family caregivers of terminal cancer patients often experience substantial emotional burden. This study assessed depression, anxiety, stress, and coping-distress associations among caregivers in Eastern India to inform culturally sensitive interventions. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 100 adult caregivers of terminal cancer patients at a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata. Participants were recruited via systematic random sampling and interviewed using a structured proforma, the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Brief-COPE inventory. Descriptive statistics summarized demographics and caregiving characteristics. Spearman's rank correlation was used to assess associations between psychological distress and coping domains, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Caregivers (median age 43 years; 70% male) were predominantly the patient's children (67%). Median DASS-21 scores indicated moderate depression (16), anxiety (14), and stress (16). Coping scores indicated low-to-moderate use of problem-focused (1.875 ± 0.321), emotional (1.871 ± 0.269), and avoidant coping (1.865 ± 0.266). Emotional coping correlated significantly with anxiety (ρ = 0.301, p = 0.002), depression (ρ = 0.317, p = 0.001), and stress (ρ = 0.293, p = 0.003). Depression also correlated with stress and problem-focused coping, while stress correlated with avoidant coping. Significance of Results: Caregivers experienced considerable psychological burden, with emotional coping consistently linked to distress. These associations likely reflect reactive adaptation rather than inherent maladaptiveness. Results highlight an urgent need to recognize caregiver distress within oncology settings and to develop culturally informed psychosocial interventions in palliative care, particularly in low-resource environments. Such efforts could enhance both caregiver well-being and quality of end-of-life care.
Contributed Indexing:	Keywords: anxiety; caregivers; coping strategies; depression; mental health; palliative care; stress; terminal cancer
Entry Date(s):	Date Created: 20261008 Date Completed: 20261008 Latest Revision: 20261008
Update Code:	20261008
DOI:	10.1017/S1478951526103551
PMID:	42844914
Βάση Δεδομένων:	MEDLINE

Περιγραφή
ISSN:	1478-9523
DOI:	10.1017/S1478951526103551