Impact of the family communication environment on burden and clinical communication in blood cancer caregiving

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effects of the family communication environment (conversation orientation) on adult child caregivers' burden and clinical interactions and if the effects are mediated by openness to communicate about cancer, avoidant cancer communication, and social support (SS). METHOD: Caregivers of a parent diagnosed with a blood cancer (N = 121) completed an online survey of validated measures of conversation orientation (i.e., the extent to which families openly communicate), SS, cancer openness, avoidance, caregiver burden, clinical communication skills, and quality of clinical interactions (QCI). RESULTS: Conversation orientation had significant indirect effects on caregiver burden, mediated by SS (β = -0.11, p < 0.001), as well as cancer openness and avoidance (β = -0.07, p < 0.001). Conversation orientation also had significant indirect effects on caregivers' communication skills with a parent's clinician, mediated by avoidance (β = 0.08, p < 0.01) and SS (β = 0.06, p < 0.001). Finally, conversation orientation had significant indirect effects on caregivers' QCI mediated by avoidance (β = 0.71, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Adult child caregivers whose families communicate more openly exhibit less caregiver burden and report better clinical interaction skills and perceived quality of the clinical interaction. Avoidance emerged as a key mediating factor. Caregivers from less open communication environments may benefit from interventions that help them navigate challenging but critical caregiving conversations.