Caregiver Depression in a Low-Resource Setting: Socio-Demographic Predictors of Major Depressive Disorder Among Family Caregivers of Breast Cancer Patients in Pakistan

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT06992167

Enrollment

402

Registered

2025-05-28

Start date

2024-05-01

Completion date

2025-05-10

Last updated

2025-05-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Brief summary

This cross-sectional study aims to assess the prevalence of depression among primary caregivers of breast cancer patients within low-resource country like Pakistan. Caregiving for individuals with breast cancer can be physically and emotionally demanding, often leading to psychological distress, including depression. However, there is limited data from low- and middle-income countries, including Pakistan, where caregivers may face additional socioeconomic and systemic burdens. This study seeks to quantify the burden of depression in this population and explore associated sociodemographic and caregiving-related factors. Findings will help inform psychosocial support strategies and interventions to improve caregiver well-being in resource-constrained environments.

Interventions

None listed

Study design

Observational model

OTHER

Time perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

15 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Primary caregiver of a patient diagnosed with breast cancer at any stage 2. Male or female caregiver 3. Aged 15 years or older 4. Providing physical, emotional, or financial support to the patient 5. Willing to give informed consent

Exclusion criteria

1. Paid caregivers (professional or hired help) 2. Age under 15 years 3. Unwilling to provide consent or participate in the study 4. Incomplete or missing essential data required for analysis

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Prevalence of depression among caregivers of breast cancer patients	At a single time point during caregiver recruitment (cross-sectional assessment within 6 months of study initiation)	Depression will be assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a validated screening tool. The PHQ-9 consists of 9 items, each scored from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), for a total score range of 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate worse depressive symptoms. Depression severity will be categorized as follows: 0-4: Minimal 5-9: Mild 10-14: Moderate 15-19: Moderately Severe 20-27: Severe The proportion of caregivers falling into each category will be reported.

Countries

Pakistan

Outcome results