The Role of Family Caregivers in Supporting the Psychological Resilience of Elderly Cancer Patients in Recovery.

Authors

Hongliang Zhang, Juan Gao

Published in

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. Issue 233. Jul 21, 2026. Epub Jul 21, 2026.

Abstract

Elderly cancer patients face a significant risk of psychological resilience (PR) decline during rehabilitation, which is linked to poor prognosis. Family caregivers of patients (FCPs) may play a crucial role, but the effect pathways remain unclear. This mixed methods study (quantitative followed by qualitative; June 2020-December 2024) enrolled 81 elderly cancer patients (≥65 years) and their FCPs, non-randomly assigned to control (n=40, standard care) or observation (n=41, FCPs received 8 weeks/16 sessions of empowerment training). Quantitative outcomes at baseline, 3, and 6 months included PR measured by the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD RISC), anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), hope (Herth Hope Index, HHI), self-efficacy (Strategies Used by people to promote health, SUPPH), quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy General, FACT G), and caregiver ability (Family Caregiver Ability Scale, FCTI), analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA. Subsequently, 15 patient FCP dyads were interviewed; qualitative data were analyzed with a qualitative data analysis software (Colaizzi's 7-step method). After intervention, CD‑RISC total score increased by 97.4% relative to baseline (from 41.70 to 82.33, absolute change +40.63) (partial η²=0.930). ; HADS anxiety and HADS depression decreased by 36.3% and 35.1%, respectively; HHI rose by +6.51. Qualitative analysis identified three core mechanisms: emotional anchoring (76%), resilience scaffolding (63%), and medical navigation (58%). Empowered FCPs are associated with higher PR, but causal inferences cannot be drawn due to a non-randomized, single-center, small sample design; effect sizes (partial η²>0.9) may overestimate population effects. Replication in multicenter randomized trials is needed.

PMID:
42574481
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Aug 2026.

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