Purpose of life in family caregivers of people diagnosed with cancer

Abstract

In this study we explore the purpose of life in 101 family caregivers of people diagnosed with cancer, selected by non-probabilistic sampled from Cancer Diseases Regional Institute at Arequipa. The sample was conformed by 58,4% female people and 41,6% male. The instrument used was Purpose in Life Test (Crumbaugh & Maholick, 1968), adapted for Noblejas (2000) in Latino sample. We found a purpose in life which indicates a clear existential aim in the 55,4% of the caregivers, without differences by age, type and cancer gravity. Although, there are significant diff erences by sex (p< 0.05), so the males have high er scores than women in perception of sense, goals and duties. Moreover, we observed that 9% of the caregivers have existential emptiness and absence of purpose in life, being the most of them, females.