Psychological processing among caregivers of allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients: Qualitative findings from a longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: To describe caregiver psychological processing during the 12 weeks after transplant and the potential role of positive emotions in caregiving experiences.

METHODS

We conducted a longitudinal qualitative descriptive study and interviewed 11 BMT caregivers monthly for 12-weeks post-transplant about their experiences and psychological processing. We analyzed 38 interviews using directed content analysis based on guiding theories and inductive in vivo coding to develop themes.

RESULTS

The majority of participants appraised caregiving as a challenge that needed to be met. Caregivers described feeling positive emotions throughout the time after transplant (gratitude, interest, and hope). We identified two new themes: mirroring (caregiver feelings reflecting patient status) and emotion regulation (hiding negative emotions and displaying positive emotions when with the patient).

IMPLICATIONS: Findings provide further evidence that interventions focused on emotion regulation and positive emotion experiences during caregiving to reduce the negative effects of caregiving related stress may be promising.