The association of cognitive behavioral intervention with caregiver burden and quality of life among family caregivers of cancer recurrence patients
- 1Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Wuhan No 1 Hospital
- 2Day care Treatment Center, Oncology Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University
- 3Department of Medicine, Yangtze University
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the immediate and 3-month follow-up associations of cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) on caregiver burden and quality of life (QOL) among family caregivers of patients with recurrent cancer.
Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 87 family caregivers of patients with recurrent cancer who completed the study at a tertiary hospital in China. Participants were recruited from two inpatient wards within the same oncology department, with one ward assigned to the intervention arm (n=43) and the other to the control arm (n=44). The intervention group received an 8-week structured CBI alongside routine care, while the control group received routine care alone. Outcomes were measured using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF-Chinese Version (WHOQOL-BREF-CV), which were administered at baseline (T ₀ ), immediately post-intervention (T ₁ ), and 3-month post-intervention follow-up (T ₂ ).
Results: Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant reductions in total caregiver burden at both T ₁ (MD = -8.27, 95% CI: -10.39 to -6.16; d = -1.66) and T ₂ (MD = -4.66, 95% CI: -6.92 to -2.40; d = -0.88). Significant improvements were also observed in overall QOL at T ₁ (MD = 3.39, 95% CI: 1.46 to 5.32; d = 0.75) and T ₂ (MD = 3.91, 95% CI: 1.83 to 5.99; d = 0.80), as well as in the physical domain at T ₁ and T ₂ , and in the psychological domain at T ₁ . However, the psychological-domain difference at T ₂ was less robust in post hoc multiplicity-adjusted sensitivity analyses. However, between-group differences in the social relationships and environmental domains were not statistically significant at T ₂ ( p > 0.05). The control group showed no significant longitudinal changes in caregiver burden; however, significant within-group fluctuations were observed in several QOL domains over time.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that CBI may be associated with reduced caregiver burden and improved QOL among family caregivers of patients with recurrent cancer over the immediate and 3-month follow-up period. Further large-scale, multi-center studies with extended follow-up are recommended to confirm the sustainability of these effects and the generalizability of the intervention.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026association,
title = {{The association of cognitive behavioral intervention with caregiver burden and quality of life among family caregivers of cancer recurrence patients}},
author = {Zhan Zhang and Han Zhou and Xiaoyu Guo and Bo Zheng},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904821},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904821/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The association of cognitive behavioral intervention with caregiver burden and quality of life among family caregivers of cancer recurrence patients
AU - Zhan Zhang
AU - Han Zhou
AU - Xiaoyu Guo
AU - Bo Zheng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904821
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904821/full
AB - Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the immediate and 3-month follow-up associations of cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) on caregiver burden and quality of life (QOL) among family caregivers of patients with recurrent cancer. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 87 family caregivers of patients with recurrent cancer who completed the study at a tertiary hospital in China. Participants were recruited from two inpatient wards within the same oncology department, with one ward assigned to the intervention arm (n=43) and the other to the control arm (n=44). The intervention group received an 8-week structured CBI alongside routine care, while the control group received routine care alone. Outcomes were measured using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF-Chinese Version (WHOQOL-BREF-CV), which were administered at baseline (T ₀ ), immediately post-intervention (T ₁ ), and 3-month post-intervention follow-up (T ₂ ). Results: Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant reductions in total caregiver burden at both T ₁ (MD = -8.27, 95% CI: -10.39 to -6.16; d = -1.66) and T ₂ (MD = -4.66, 95% CI: -6.92 to -2.40; d = -0.88). Significant improvements were also observed in overall QOL at T ₁ (MD = 3.39, 95% CI: 1.46 to 5.32; d = 0.75) and T ₂ (MD = 3.91, 95% CI: 1.83 to 5.99; d = 0.80), as well as in the physical domain at T ₁ and T ₂ , and in the psychological domain at T ₁ . However, the psychological-domain difference at T ₂ was less robust in post hoc multiplicity-adjusted sensitivity analyses. However, between-group differences in the social relationships and environmental domains were not statistically significant at T ₂ ( p > 0.05). The control group showed no significant longitudinal changes in caregiver burden; however, significant within-group fluctuations were observed in several QOL domains over time. Conclusions: The findings suggest that CBI may be associated with reduced caregiver burden and improved QOL among family caregivers of patients with recurrent cancer over the immediate and 3-month follow-up period. Further large-scale, multi-center studies with extended follow-up are recommended to confirm the sustainability of these effects and the generalizability of the intervention.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -