The effect of anxiety and spiritual well-being on the care burden of caregivers of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the caregivers of people with all chronic diseases, including people with cancer (PWC). This study was conducted to determine the impact of anxiety and spiritual well-being on the care burden of caregivers of PWC during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 250 caregivers of hematology and oncology patients registered with a cancer support association. All participants completed the following self-report questionnaires: the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), and the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI). RESULTS: Most (82.4%) of the caregivers expressed fear that their patient may contract COVID-19, and 42.0% stated that they had difficulty getting to the hospital. The caregivers’ mean ZBI score was 21.06 ± 14.64, their mean GAD-7 score was 14.51 ± 6.02, and their mean SWBS score was 111.50 ± 16.84. According to the results of regression analysis, SWBS and GAD-7 scores had a significant effect on the ZBI score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, anxiety explained most of the care burden during COVID-19. Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be beneficial to implement practices to promote spirituality and reduce anxiety in caregivers of PWC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00520-021-06611-0.