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Group-Based Trajectory Modeling of Caregiver Psychological Distress Over Time

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Competing theories of adaptation and wear-and-tear describe psychological distress patterns among family caregivers.

Purpose

This study seeks to characterize psychological distress patterns in family caregivers and identify predictors.

Methods

One hundred three caregivers of care recipients with primary malignant brain tumors were interviewed within 1, 4, 8, and 12 months post-diagnosis regarding psychological distress; care recipients were interviewed regarding clinical/functional characteristics. Group-based trajectory modeling identified longitudinal distress patterns, and weighted logistic/multinomial regression models identified predictors of distress trajectories.

Results

Group-based trajectory modeling identified high-decreasing (51.1 % of caregivers) and consistently low (48.9 %) depressive symptom trajectories, high-decreasing (75.5 %) and low-decreasing (24.5 %) anxiety trajectories, and high (37.5 %), moderate (40.9 %), and low-decreasing (21.6 %) caregiver burden trajectories. High depressive symptoms were associated with high trajectories for both anxiety and burden, lower caregivers age, income, and social support, and lower care recipient functioning.

Conclusions

Our data support the adaptation hypothesis; interventions should target those at risk for persistent distress.

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Acknowledgements

Support for this research was provided by the National Cancer Institute (R01 CA118711-01A1) as part of the Mind-Body Interactions in Neuro-Oncology Family Caregivers study, Principal Investigator Paula R. Sherwood. The authors wish to thank the Innovations in Cancer Care team for data collection and management, and our participants who donated their time and insight to this project.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Acute and Tertiary Care School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Chien-Wen J. Choi MS

  2. Department of Biostatistics Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Roslyn A. Stone PhD

  3. Department of Psychology in Education School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Kevin H. Kim PhD

  4. Department of Health and Community Systems School of Nursing Department of Biostatistics Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Dianxu Ren MD, PhD

  5. University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Richard Schulz PhD

  6. Department of Family Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Charles W. Given PhD

  7. College of Nursing, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Barbara A. Given PhD, RN, FAAN

  8. Department of Acute and Tertiary Care, School of Nursing Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Paula R. Sherwood PhD, RN, CNRN, FAAN

  9. School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, 3500 Victoria Street, Suite 336, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, USA

    Chien-Wen J. Choi MS

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  1. Chien-Wen J. Choi MS
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  7. Barbara A. Given PhD, RN, FAAN
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Correspondence to Chien-Wen J. Choi MS.

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Choi, CW.J., Stone, R.A., Kim, K.H. et al. Group-Based Trajectory Modeling of Caregiver Psychological Distress Over Time. ann. behav. med. 44, 73–84 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-012-9371-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-012-9371-8

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