Suffering: a relatively unexplored phenomenon among family caregivers of non-institutionalized patients with cancer

Suffering is a phenomenon with physical and emotional components. Although several studies have drawn attention to the needs of, and demands placed on families who provide care for patients with a diagnosis of cancer at home, few have discussed the suffering which many of these caregivers experience. This paper will illustrate the phenomenon of suffering as seen in the responses made by family caregivers of patients with cancer. Eighty-three family caregivers drawn from a probability sample of patients with a diagnosis of cancer were interviewed in their homes to determine needs they encountered in their caregiving roles. The caregivers consisted of 43 males and 40 females, with mean ages of 53 and 54 years respectively. Families not only identified their needs, they also indicated several areas which were for them sources of suffering. The findings revealed that family suffering often stemmed from fear of loneliness; uncertainty about the future (their own and that of the patients); lifestyle disruption; communication breakdown; lack of support; and their sense of helplessness. These findings suggest that health professionals, particularly nurses, who work with families in their homes, must be alert and sensitive to cues and circumstances which could indicate suffering, and in so doing, take the necessary steps to ameliorate their situation.