Prevalence and predictors of long term psychological morbidity in bereaved cancer caregivers
Title:
Prevalence and predictors of long term psychological morbidity in bereaved cancer caregivers
Funding Source:
Victorian Cancer Agency, Early Career Seed Grant
Chief Investigators:
Dr Rachel Zordan
Professor Peter Hudson
Dr Melanie Price
Associate Professor Liz Lobb
Professor Tom Trauer
Chris Hall
Project Officers:
Dr Rachel Zordan and Cheryl Remedios
Partners:
The University of Sydney / Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group
Calvary Health Care Sydney
Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement
Duration:
12 months
Purpose:
Very little is known about the quality of life, psychological wellbeing, and health outcomes of bereaved cancer caregivers in the longer term. Utilising a large existing population-based cohort of bereaved cancer caregivers, the aim of this study is to report the prevalence of, and explore the predictors of, persistent psychological morbidity post-bereavement, through both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Method:
This is a two-stage project. Stage 1 of the study builds on an existing longitudinal study and uses standardised quantitative measures to document the psychological outcomes of caregivers two years post-death. Stage 2, using qualitative interview technique and will explore the experience of different sub-groups of caregivers: i) those identified with persistent poor psychological health post-death, ii) those identified with good psychological health, and iii) those reporting considerable change in psychological health post-death. This mixed methods approach is expected to enhance the understanding of the interrelationships between factors that contribute to bereavement outcomes
Results:
N/A
