Anticipatory grief and its influencing factors in major caregivers of patients with advanced cancer

Objective To explore the status of anticipatory grief in major caregivers of patients with advanced cancer and its influencing factors. Methods There were 329 major caregivers of patients with advanced cancer recruited between October 2017 and May 2018. The basic data questionnaire, Anticipatory Grief Scale and Perceived Social Support Scale were used in the investigation. Results The scores of anticipatory grief and perceived social support were 88.49±16.47 and 60.33±11.58 respectively. The result of multiple linear regression revealed that relationship with patients, perceived social support, gender and religion were associated with anticipatory grief and could explain 54.2% of the total variance. Conclusions Medical workers should provide assistance to the major caregivers of patients with advanced cancer, respect and encourage the appropriate participation of religious activities, encourage caregivers to fully express their feelings, decrease their adverse emotional reactions and improve their bereavement outcome. Key words: Advanced cancer patients; Major caregivers; Anticipatory grief; Influencing factors