Page No 245-250
Mollier, Sashirenla and Longkumer, Imlisongla
Nagaland University
Cancer care giving is highly demanding as patients rely on their caregivers for their
daily basic functioning and also for their treatment processes. In the process care
giving may become exhausting as the patient’s health deteriorates and may gradually
lead one to experience some sort of psychological distress. The study aimed to examine
the role of hope, religiosity and perceived social support in psychological distress
experienced by caregivers of cancer patients. Following the purposive sampling method,
160 caregivers who consented to participate in the study were assessed using Herth
Hope Index, The Duke University Religiosity Index, Berlin Social Support Scale and
Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Data were analysed using simple percentage,
Spearman’s rho, Chi Square test and Mann Whitney U test. Result indicated that hope
and perceived social support were found to have significant negative association with
psychological distress of cancer care givers. It was also observed that religiosity was
not found to be significantly associated with psychological distress of cancer care
givers. No significant difference in the psychological distress of male and female cancer
care givers was also found. The study provides notable insights regarding the prevalence
of psychological distress among caregivers of cancer patients and the role of positive
psychological factors such as hope and social support in moderating cancer care giver
distress.