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Employment implications of informal cancer caregiving

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Abstract

Purpose

Previous research describing how informal cancer caregiving impacts employment has been conducted in small samples or a single disease site. This paper provides population-based estimates of the effect of informal cancer caregiving on employment and characterizes employment changes made by caregivers.

Methods

The samples included cancer survivors with a friend or family caregiver, participating in either the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Experiences with Cancer Survivorship Survey (ECSS) (n = 458) or the LIVESTRONG 2012 Survey for People Affected by Cancer (SPAC) (n = 4706). Descriptive statistics characterized the sample of survivors and their caregivers’ employment changes. Multivariable logistic regression identified predictors of caregivers’ extended employment changes, comprising time off and changes to hours, duties, or employment status.

Results

Among survivors with an informal caregiver, 25 % from the ECSS and 29 % from the SPAC reported that their caregivers made extended employment changes. Approximately 8 % of survivors had caregivers who took time off from work lasting ≥2 months. Caregivers who made extended employment changes were more likely to care for survivors: treated with chemotherapy or transplant; closer to diagnosis or end of treatment; who experienced functional limitations; and made work changes due to cancer themselves compared to caregivers who did not make extended employment changes.

Conclusions

Many informal cancer caregivers make employment changes to provide care during survivors’ treatment and recovery.

Implications for cancer survivors

This study describes cancer caregiving in a prevalent sample of cancer survivors, thereby reflecting the experiences of individuals with many different cancer types and places in the cancer treatment trajectory.

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Acknowledgment

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the American Cancer Society.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Janet S. de Moor, Erin E. Kent, Kristen Litzelman, Benmei Liu & K. Robin Yabroff

  2. Institute for Technology Assessment, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Emily C. Dowling

  3. Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Donatus U. Ekwueme, Gery P. Guy Jr., Juan Rodriguez & Chunyu Li

  4. Surveillance and Health Services Research Program, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Xuesong Han

  5. Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Katherine S. Virgo

  6. Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton, MD, USA

    Timothy S. McNeel

  7. Healthcare Assessment Research Branch, Healthcare Delivery Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, 3E438, MSC 9764, Bethesda, MD, 20892-9764, USA

    Janet S. de Moor

Authors
  1. Janet S. de Moor
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  2. Emily C. Dowling
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  3. Donatus U. Ekwueme
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Janet S. de Moor.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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de Moor, J.S., Dowling, E.C., Ekwueme, D.U. et al. Employment implications of informal cancer caregiving. J Cancer Surviv 11, 48–57 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-016-0560-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-016-0560-5

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