Clinical Scorecard: A Longitudinal Study on Psychological Adjustment and Influencing Factors in Primary Caregivers of Thyroid Cancer Surgery Patients

At a Glance

Key Highlights

• Psychological adaptation scores of caregivers increased significantly over 6 months post-surgery.
• Caregiver burden and caregiving competence showed significant downward trends during the same period.
• Having one caregiver and higher monthly income positively predicted psychological adaptation.
• Caregiver burden (ZBI) and caregiving competence (FCTI) negatively predicted psychological adaptation.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

• Utilize the Psychological Adaptation Scale (PAS) for assessing psychological adaptation.

Management

• Monitor caregiver burden using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI).
• Evaluate caregiving competence with the Family Caregiver Task Inventory (FCTI).

Monitoring & Follow-up

• Conduct repeated assessments at multiple time points (T0, T1, T2, T3) to track changes.

Risks

• High caregiver burden is a stable risk factor for anxiety and depression in caregivers.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Postoperative thyroid cancer patients and their primary caregivers

Caregiver psychological health directly impacts patient recovery and quality of life.

Clinical Best Practices

• Provide emotional support to caregivers to mitigate perceived burden.
• Encourage caregiver education to enhance caregiving competence.

Related Resources & Content

• Study on Psychological Adaptation in Caregivers