Objectives: Family caregivers encounter elevated stress, which likely leads them to disengaging in health-promoting behaviors that compromise their long-term health. This study examined the extent to which caregivers’ demographic and biopsychosocial factors were associated with their improper use of healthcare services and substance use.
Sample and Setting: Patients with colorectal cancer nominated their partners who were involved in their daily activities. Partners of adults with colorectal cancer (n=132, 55.6 years old, 67.7% female, 62.9% Hispanic, 72% of patients diagnosed with advanced stage about 7 months ago) completed a questionnaire at home.
Procedures: Eligible partners reported demographics, levels of caregiving stress, acculturation, general functioning (PROMIS-29), healthcare utilization, and substance use. Patients’ cancer stage was obtained from medical records. Partner’s caregiving stress, acculturation, and general functioning were primary predictors. Partner’s age, gender, and BMI as well as patients’ cancer stage were covariates.
Results: Partners reported on average one occasion of either under- or over-utilizing healthcare services during the past 12 months. Approximately one-fifth reported engaging in substance use at a risky to harmful level. Controlling for the effects of covariates, general linear modeling revealed that greater caregiving stress was associated with under-utilization of healthcare services (p< .03; 95% CI = .048, 0.837) and greater acculturation to American culture was associated with higher substance use (p< .001; 95% CI = .050, .179).
Conclusion and Clinical Implications: Findings pinpoint the detrimental impact of caregiving stress, which might be manifested in the caregivers’ health-promoting behaviors differently by the degree of cultural assimilation. Multiculturally integrative supportive care services should be tailored to address these critical needs for partners’ well-being. Future studies should examine the long-term impact of under-utilization of healthcare services and substance use as well as the influence of structural factors and healthcare access on caregivers’ health to minimize the development of premature morbidities.