l Introduction

Cancer, a group of diseases which are caused by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells, is
the second largest cause of deaths across the world and was responsible for an estimated 9.6 million
deaths in the year 2018.

The looking after a chronically ill loved one presents significant emotional burden on their informal care-
givers (parents, spouses and friends those who take care of their loved ones without being compensated fi-
nancially to do so). The burden of the caregiver, according to the Oncology Nursing Society, encompasses
the difficulties of the being a caregiver and the alterations in the physical and mental health status of care-
giver when the care demands exceeds the available resources. The caregivers not only have to look after
the patient but also fulfil their other duties such as employment, child care and have to cope with reduced
income, financial burden and lack of time. Previous studies have shown that close to half of the caregivers
of advanced cancer patients suffer from some sort of distress, such as depression, anxiety, decreased qual-
ity of life and insomnia. Also, though not investigated as much as the emotional burden, the physical bur-
den is also high and the caregivers are at high risk for complications including cardiovascular diseases, fa-
tigue, poor immune functions, sleep disorders and increased mortality. The above mentioned stresses can
lead to several psychological problems and may be a cause for further problems that not only impair their
ability to look after the patients but also significantly affect their own health and quality of life. All these
factors make us realise the seriousness of this issue and the importance of psychological guidance and
counselling to the caregivers.

Quality of life (the standard of health, comfort and happiness experienced by a person) has been found to
be low in cancer patients. There aren’t much studies to assess the quality of life or the perceived stress or
the mental health status among the caregivers of cancer patients, especially in India. Hence this study
which assesses the levels of perceived stress, the quality of life and the general mental health status among
the caregivers of cancer patients using standard questionnaires in a tertiary hospital is done.