Mesothelioma: exploring psychological effects on veterans and their family caregivers

Background:

In the UK, around one in eight adults aged over 65 years is a veteran of the UK armed forces. There is little research into the experiences of veterans with mesothelioma and their family caregivers.

Aim:

To explore the psychological effects of mesothelioma on UK veterans and their family caregivers from the caregivers’ perspective.

Method:

Purposive sampling was used to recruit six participants to this qualitative interview study. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Findings:

There was an underlying influence of the military background on several facets of caregivers’ and veterans’ experiences. Veterans and caregivers made efforts to ‘just keep on going’. Psychological benefits were derived from having a stoic outlook, retaining one’s sense of humour, being goal-oriented and putting others first. Holding to high military standards such as loyalty led to broken trust and anger. Straightforward ‘need to know’ communication is a priority in the armed forces and this also influenced caregivers’ and veterans’ experiences.

Conclusion:

It is important that nurses are aware of the specific cultural factors present in armed forces veterans and their caregivers so that they can assess and address their needs adequately.