Conclusion
Male caregivers of patients with cancer communicated a range of physical, emotional, and cognitive difficulties in their caregiving role alongside satisfaction when providing care for their wives/partners. Male caregivers as a separate group with their own needs have not received much attention in the cancer literature, and their concerns and challenges may differ from those of female caregivers or mediated by different factors. It is clear that male caregivers need to be supported on an ongoing basis, and future research should identify and test appropriate interventions for this group of caregivers particularly in the categories identified in the present study to be time related.
The funding for this study, as part of a program grant on patient experiences of cancer symptoms, was obtained from the Christie Hospital Charitable Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Cancer Nurs. 2012;35(6):402-410. © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
