Religious Coping as a Predictor of the Burden of Care in the Caregivers of End-stage Cancer Patients

  Advanced cancer causes problems not only for the patients, but also for their caregivers. The present study aimed to determine the role of religious coping in the prediction of the burden of care in the caregivers of end-stage cancer patients. This cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted on 146 cancer caregivers referring to the palliative care center of Firoozgar Hospital in Tehran, Iran during April-September 2017. The participants were selected via availability sampling. Data were collected using Novak and Guest’s caregiver burden inventory (CBI) and Pargament’s religious coping questionnaire (RCOPE). Data analysis was performed in SPSS-16 using Pearson’s correlation-coefficient and multiple regression analysis. No significant correlation was observed between the positive religious coping style and burden of the caregivers. However, the negative religious coping style had a direct, significant correlation with the burden of the caregivers (34%). Moreover, the negative religious coping style could significantly predict the burden of the caregivers (t=4.444; β=0.352), while the positive religious coping style could not significantly predict the burden of the caregivers (t=0.438; β=0.035). According to the results, contrary to the negative religious coping style, the positive religious coping style could not predict the burden of care in the caregivers of end-stage cancer patients. Therefore, it is recommended that training be provided on coping skills focusing on the modification and reduction of negative coping strategies in the caregivers of cancer patients in order to diminish the burden of care.