ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives

Cancer caregivers are at risk for experiencing health issues due to the stress of caregiving. Despite this, it is possible to prompt adaptive coping during the cancer experience. Adaptive coping is associated with improved health for caregiver populations. Forms of emotional disclosure are associated with caregiver reports of post-traumatic growth (PTG), which is an adaptive coping mechanism that comprises positive change following trauma. This study sought to identify areas of PTG identified by spousal hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) cancer caregivers, via emotional disclosure writings.

Design & Method

Twenty-two spousal caregivers of patients who underwent a (HSCT) submitted emotional disclosure writings three times at one-week intervals. Writings centered on positive outcomes arising in light of the cancer experience. A qualitative grounded theory approach was used to evaluate caregiver accounts of PTG that arose while caring for their spouse.

Results & Conclusions

Findings suggest seven areas of PTG recognized through the disclosure process: living in the moment, a sense of honor and pride, choosing positivity, uninfluenced self-choice and expression, deprioritizing materialism, personal and/or spiritual connection, and altruistic expansion. The primary theoretical advancement arising from this study includes the notion that PTG largely appears to be a socially dependent process.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02339870..

中文翻译：

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癌症护理人员报告配偶造血干细胞移植后的创伤后生长

摘要

背景和目标

由于护理压力，癌症护理人员面临健康问题的风险。尽管如此，有可能在癌症经历期间促进适应性应对。适应性应对与改善护理人员的健康有关。情绪披露的形式与照顾者关于创伤后成长(PTG) 的报告有关，这是一种适应性应对机制，包括创伤后的积极变化。本研究旨在通过情感披露文章确定配偶造血干细胞移植 (HSCT) 癌症护理人员确定的 PTG 区域。

设计与方法

接受 (HSCT )的患者的 22 名配偶照顾者每隔一周提交 3 次情绪披露文章。着作集中在癌症经历带来的积极成果上。使用定性的扎根理论方法来评估在照顾配偶时出现的 PTG 的照顾者帐户。

结果与结论

调查结果表明，PTG 的七个方面通过披露过程得到认可：活在当下、荣誉感和自豪感、选择积极性、不受影响的自我选择和表达、不重视物质主义、个人和/或精神联系以及利他主义扩张。这项研究产生的主要理论进步包括 PTG 在很大程度上似乎是一个社会依赖过程的概念。

试用注册： ClinicalTrials.gov 标识符：NCT02339870。.