Table 13 A Priori Codes from Hudson Conceptual Model of Family Caregivers for Palliative Care
Event | Change in environment or patient status, e.g., new information, worsening of symptoms, return home from hospital |
|---|---|
Appraisal | Determining whether event is relevant to caregiver or patient’s well-being |
Threat | Event poses a threat to patient or caregiver well-being that may be outside of caregiver’s capacity to address |
Challenge | Event poses a potentially surmountable obstacle within caregiver’s capacity |
Harm | Event leads to direct harm to patient or caregiver |
Benign | Event is unlikely to change patient or caregiver status or may improve it |
Irrelevant | Event has no bearing on patient or caregiver status |
Coping | |
 Problem-focused coping | Acting on oneself or the environment, such as seeking information |
 Emotion-focused coping | Changing the relationship to the environment, or changing the relational meaning of the experience to avoid stress |
Event Outcome | |
 Favourable resolution | Outcome is consistent with goals and values |
 Unfavourable resolution | Outcome is contrary to goals and values, such as harm |
 No resolution | Situation persists without opportunity for change |
Emotion Outcome | |
 Positive emotion | Favourable resolution leads to satisfaction, end of coping |
 Distress | Unfavourable resolution of event leads to distress |
 Meaning-based coping | Unfavourable or no resolution leads to adapting one’s mental state to be able to respond to an event |
 Positive reappraisal | Finding meaning in the event based on beliefs and values |
 Revised goals | Adjusting goals for situation to obtain control |
 Spiritual beliefs | Activating spiritual beliefs to fuel emotion- or problem-based functions |
 Positive events | A satisfactory outcome to the event leads to positive appraisal |
Variables | Â |
 Preparedness | How ready the caregiver perceives being, regardless of actual skill or knowledge |
 Mastery | Sense of control and enhanced self-esteem through overcoming a stressor, development of new abilities, very broadly (not task-specific) |
 Competence | Perception of self as adequate at caregiving specifically |
 Self-efficacy | Belief in one’s own ability to manage a situation. Not an inherent trait but event- and task-specific |
 Anxiety, depression and distress | Negative psychological effects of ongoing caregiving demands |
 Social support | Interactions with friends, family, coworkers. Can be positive or negative, or absent. |
 Information | Seeking information to assess problems and solutions. Successful information seeking facilitates more effective coping. |
 Rewards | Satisfaction, positive emotional gains from caregiving, such as receiving love from patient, seeing patient content, feeling accomplished |
 Meaningfulness | Caregiver sees role as worthwhile investment or challenge |
 Positive emotions | Feelings of happiness, satisfaction, recognition as opposed to stress |
 Optimism | Inherent trait that buffers caregiver against strains of caregiving |
 Mutuality | Gratitude and meaning and idea of reciprocity in relationship with patient, closeness |
 Respite | Activities or interactions outside of caregiving that reduce stress and allow caregiver to recognise his/her own needs and interests |
 Cultural factors | Expectations about familial roles that shape expectations of caregiving and influence stress and coping (e.g., duty or honour to care for spouse or parent) |
 Caregiver burden and health | Physical, emotional, psychological, financial, or social problems related to caregiving (e.g., lack of sleep, numbed emotions, isolation) |
 Choice and commitment | Making a conscious choice to take on caregiving role |
 Patient’s disease, dependency, and illness duration | Patient’s physical needs, psychological aspects of illness, and own recognition and outlook on illness |
 Caregiver age, gender, socioeconomic status | Unclear but possible relationships in response to caregiving based on relationship status, age (physical ability), economics |
Additional codes | |
 External influences | Legal, economic, or other structural factors that shape the environment in which care is provided overall and the caregiver’s options for providing care (e.g., insurance, sick leave) |
 Grief | Anticipatory or posthumous grieving |