The Relationship between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Coping Strategies with Family Distress of Caregivers of Cancer Patients

Abstract

Background and purpose: The consequences of higher pressure on family caregivers include family isolation, loss of hope from social support, disruption of family relationships, insufficient care of the patient, and finally, abandoning the patient. These problems originate from two aspects, i.e. problems with patient care and treatment, and adaptation to the responsibilities arising from care. Therefore, the present research aimed to determine the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and coping strategies with family distress of caregivers of cancer patients. Methods: The present research was descriptive and had a correlational design. The statistical population consisted of all caregivers of cancer patients who visited the palliative medicine centers of Tehran's Firouzgar Hospital, the Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and the Cancer Research Center of the Ministry of Health and Medical in 2020, among whom 300 cases were selected as the samples using the convenience sampling method. The research tools included the family distress questionnaire (McCubbin, Thompson, and McCubbin, 1996), the early maladaptive schema questionnaire (Young, 1998), and the coping strategies questionnaire (Parker and Endler, 1980). Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to analyze the data. Results: The results indicated a significant positive relationship between the early maladaptive schemas and the family distress of caregivers of cancer patients (p<0.01), but there was no significant relationship between coping strategies and family distress of caregivers of cancer patients. Conclusion: Therefore, combining psychological interventions to change unhealthy behavior patterns and counseling with psychologists to detect and adjust early maladaptive schemas, along with the main physical treatments can be effective in reducing psychological damage to caregivers of cancer patients.