Introduction: Cancer affects patients as well as heir spouses. Patients and their spouses use different strategies to cope with cancer and the associated burden. Thepurpose of thisstudy was to explore the care giving experience of female spouses living with cancer patients, from their point of view. Methods: The present study was an exploratory qualitative study conducted at Oncology department of AmalaCancer Hospital and Research Centre, Thrissur. The study was based on semi- structured face-to-face interview. Eleven female spouses of cancer patients of various stages were interviewed. The interviews took place at Oncology department of Amala Institute of Medical Science and research centre, Thrissur,from October 2024 to March 2025. The data were analysed using thematic analysis according to Colaizzi’s seven step methodology. Participants in the study were spouses of various ages (between 30 and 70 years) who care for cancer patients at various stages (from stage one to stage four). Results: From the spouse’s perspective, five themes emerged: Changes in relationship pattern (Increased emotional closeness and shift from wife to caregiver role), personal or psychological impact (Emotional distress and anxiety, physical exhaustion and health issues, loss of personal identity, neglect of self- care) care giving burden (increased dependence, increased daily care tasks, lack of support in caregiving) financial hardship (insufficient income &loss of earnings, high treatment cost and medical bills, loans, debts and borrowing) social withdrawal and spiritual coping (reduced social participation, strengthened faith and coping, loss of faith) Conclusion:The study’s conclusions shed light on the experiences of spouses providing care for cancer patients at different stages of the disease. Spouses appear to require more psychological support to enhance their own well-being, and active dyadic coping is beneficial for fostering disease adaption. According to five themes that arose from the current study, health care providers should pay attention to cancer patients of every stage and their spouses.
This work is licensed under a