Aims: Caring for an individual with advanced cancer is a challenging and stressful experience for most caregivers. However, little is known about how individual and situational factors related to caregiving influence perceived caregiver self-efficacy. This analogue study investigated the impact of the valence of care recipient demeanour and perceived medical support on caregiving self-efficacy and expectations of care recipient behaviour.
Methods: Australian adults (N=135; mean age 48.05 years, 20% male) with no prior cancer caregiving experience were recruited for the online 2 x 2 analogue study via social media and snowball sampling via personal email contacts. Participants were randomly assigned to receive information about one of four hypothetical scenarios regarding caring for a mother with advanced cancer. Scenarios varied by the valence of the care recipient (positive/negative) and perceived supportiveness of her medical care team (supportive/unsupportive). Participants completed post-manipulation measures of perceived caregiving self-efficacy and expectations of care recipient behaviour.
Results: Bootstrapped multivariate analysis of covariance (controlling for age, prior caregiving experience, positive reappraisal, social support, and attitude to dying) revealed a significant main effect for condition (F=8.80, p<.0005). Individuals assigned to the positively valenced care recipient reported higher caregiving self-efficacy and had more positive expectations of care recipient behaviour than those assigned to the negatively valenced care recipient. There were no differences between individuals assigned to supportive or unsupportive medical care.
Conclusions: These results indicate that the negative valence of a care recipient towards their caregiver is associated with decreased caregiving self-efficacy in a hypothetical caregiving scenario. Therefore, if this effect is confirmed amongst current caregivers of individuals with advanced cancer, consideration should be given to interventions which will mitigate the impact of negatively valenced care recipients, and bolster caregiving self-efficacy.