Objective: To determine the quality of life of caregivers of children with cancer at Children’s Hospital 2.
Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 304 caregivers of children with cancer receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital 2. Participants were parents or legal guardians aged 18 years or older who directly cared for the children, were able to communicate in Vietnamese, and agreed to participate. Quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, including 24 items in four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 with descriptive statistics.
Results: Most caregivers were female (69.7%), aged 31-55 years (79.6%), and mothers of the patients (69.7%). Most children were diagnosed with acute leukemia (61.2%) and had been diagnosed for less than 12 months (61.2%). The overall quality of life score was 52.3 ± 16.4, indicating a moderate level. Among the 4 domains, social relationships had the highest mean score (55.7 ± 15.2), followed by physical health (53.8 ± 17.6), psychological health (51.5 ± 17.5), and environment (50.3 ± 15.6). The lowest item score was related to the absence of hopelessness, anxiety, and depression (42.6 ± 17.2).
Conclusion: Caregivers of children with cancer at Children’s Hospital 2 had a moderate level of quality of life. Psychological health and environmental factors were the most affected domains. Psychological counseling, health education, social support, and resource connection programs should be strengthened to improve caregivers’ quality of life.