Predictors of the Relationship Between the Duration of Cancer and Care Time With the Supportive Care Needs of Patients and the Quality of Life of Their Caregivers: A Path Analysis

Abstract Background: Breast cancer patients face various material, physical and psychological problems. The growing trend of breast cancer in Iran, the referral of patients in the advanced stages of the disease, and the mutual impact of patients and caregivers on each other show the need for further supportive care from the community and family. This study aimed to identify the predictors of the direct and indirect relationships of the duration of cancer and care time with the supportive needs of the patients and the quality of life of their family caregivers.Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 150 patients and their caregivers in Iran. Data were collected using the Supportive Care Needs Survey-short form (SCNS-SF34), the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer (CQOLC) scale, and a socio-demographic checklist and were then analyzed in SPSS-24 and Lisrel-8.8 software using descriptive-analytical statistics and path analysis.Results: The mean age of the patients and caregivers was 45.76±10.44 and 43.46±9.5, respectively. Based on the test results, the duration of cancer was positively correlated with the total score of supportive needs in both paths (B=0.799). The patients’ sexuality needs had the highest negative correlation with their duration of cancer in the direct path (B=-0.87) and psychological needs the highest negative correlation in the indirect path (B=-0.32). The care time (in hours) had the highest positive correlation with the total score of supportive needs (B=15.6) in both the direct and indirect paths, and the highest positive correlation with physical needs in the direct path (B=10.65). The caregivers’ quality of life had a negative and direct relationship with the duration of cancer (B =-0.27) and there was a positive and direct relationship between care time and the caregivers’ quality of life (B=3.09). Conclusions: Duration of cancer and care time had the highest positive correlation with the patients’ supportive needs, and the caregivers’ quality of life had a negative correlation with the duration of cancer and a positive correlation with care time. It is therefore vital to emphasize the design and implementation of supportive care programs for breast cancer patients and their family caregivers.