Abstract
This study assessed the severity of mental health concerns, including depression and anxiety, and identified its association with psychosocial and caregiving factors. A cross-sectional study involved 213 family caregivers of lung cancer patients was conducted between June 2023 and August 2024 at a general provincial hospital in Northern Vietnam. Mental health concerns, caregiving challenges (burden, preparedness, and readiness for surrogate decision-making) and psychosocial factors (quality of life and social support) were measured. Modified Poisson regression examined associations between these factors with mental health concerns. Approximately 37% screened positive for mental health concerns, with 29.1% and 27.2% experiencing mild-to-severe depression and anxiety, respectively. Factors positively associated with mild-to-severe depression included being female (Prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.79, 95%CI: 1.07, 3.01), higher caregiving burden (PR = 1.06, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.08) and better caregiving preparedness (PR = 1.34, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.75). Similarly, caregiving burden (PR = 1.05, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.07) was positively associated with mild-to-severe anxiety. Conversely, better quality of life was negatively associated with both mild-to-severe depression (PR = 0.97, 95%CI: 0.95, 0.99) and anxiety (PR = 0.96, 95%CI: 0.94, 0.98). Only social support from friends (PR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.77, 0.98) was negatively associated with mild-to-severe anxiety. No association was observed between readiness for surrogate decision-making and either mild-to-severe depression or anxiety. This study underscores the significant prevalence of mental health concerns, with one in ten family caregivers meeting the threshold for mental health treatment. The findings advocate for routine mental health screening to enable early identification and intervention. Promoting well-being and bolstering social connections is a critical strategy to mitigate mental health concerns.