Cancer-related challenges, unmet needs and emotional distress in male caregivers of women with breast cancer: the influence of self-efficacy

Abstract

Objective: To explore the challenges, unmet needs, and emotional distress of male caregivers of women with breast cancer (BC); and determine how self-efficacy relates to these variables. Methods: Adult (≥18 yr) males currently caring for or who had previously cared for a woman with BC completed questionnaires assessing their emotional distress, challenges, unmet needs, and self-efficacy. Bivariate correlations determined the relationships between the variables used in the regression and mediation models. Mediation analysis examined whether cancer-related challenges and unmet needs predict emotional distress and whether self-efficacy mediates the relationships between challenges, unmet needs and distress, while accounting for education, employment, and time from diagnosis. Results: Self-efficacy was significantly negatively related to emotional distress, challenges experienced, and unmet needs. The mediation model accounted for a significant 18% of emotional distress variability. Self-efficacy did not mediate the relationship between challenges and emotional distress or between unmet needs and emotional distress. Conclusions: Male caregivers may benefit from interventions to enhance self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is a modifiable variable, ideally suited for inclusion in supportive interventions.

Keywords:

• breast cancer
• distress
• male caregivers
• psycho-oncology
• self-efficacy
• unmet needs

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.