OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the impact of a psychoeducational program on the quality of life of informal caregivers of Glioblastoma patients.
METHOD:
Twenty informal caregivers (test group) were evaluated before and after attending four sessions of psychoeducation and compared to a group of 10 caregivers (control group), who did not attend the sessions, but were also evaluated in two different equivalent time points. The quality of life was evaluated by WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization, which was applied by the same interviewer to all the participants. At the end of the study, a blinded interviewer who had no previous contact with the participants applied the tool again to check for any interference bias. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for consistent evaluation, Student's t-test for parametric, and Wilcoxon test for non-parametric data were applied for statistical analysis.
RESULTS:
The questionnaire was shown to be a consistent tool to evaluate quality of life. The test group showed significant improvement in the quality of life, especially in the psychological domain. The control group presented deterioration in all WHOQOL-BREF domains.
CONCLUSIONS:
The psychoeducational program improved the quality of life of caregivers of Glioblastoma patients, and revealed to be a valuable support program to be implemented in the treatment of this type of cancer.
KEYWORDS:
Glioblastoma multiforme; Caregiver; Psychology; Grief; Quality of Life
