TY - JOUR ID - 27334 TI - Employment Status and Work-Related Difficulties among Family Members of Terminally Ill Patients Compared with the General Population JO - Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention JA - APJCP LA - en SN - 1513-7368 Y1 - 2013 PY - 2013 VL - 14 IS - 1 SP - 373 EP - 379 KW - Terminal cancer patient KW - caregiver KW - employment status KW - work-related difficulty DO - N2 - Background: Although caregiving to patients with terminal illness is known to be a stressful burdento family members, little attention has been focused on work-related problems. We aimed to investigateemployment status and work-related difficulties of family caregivers of terminal cancer patients, comparingwith the general population. Methods: Using structured questionnaires, we assessed family caregivers of481 cancer patients determined by physicians to be terminally ill, from 11 university hospitals and theNational Cancer Center in Korea. Results: Among 381 family caregivers of terminal cancer patients(response rate, 87.6%), 169 (43.9%) were not working before cancer diagnosis, but currently 233 (63.7%)were not working. Compared with the general population (36.5%), the percentage of not working amongthe family caregivers was higher (OR=2.39; 95%CI= 1.73-3.29). A major reason for not working was toprovide assistance to the patients (71.6%). 40.6% of those who continued working and 32.3% of thosewho not working family members reported extreme fatigue. Caregivers of old age, those who were female,those with a lower household income, and those caring for patients with a low performance status were notworking at a more significant rate. Conclusion: Family caregivers of terminal cancer patients suffer job lossand severe work-related difficulties, probably due to caregiving itself and to fatigue. We need to developsupportive programs to overcome the burden of caregivers of the terminally ill. UR - https://journal.waocp.org/article_27334.html L1 - https://journal.waocp.org/article_27334_190f968ed9a03e11923323b57a6eaa7b.pdf ER -