Key result
The STITCH task successfully induced significant affective, stress, and cardiovascular responses in both patients with colorectal cancer and their family caregivers.
Why the study?
Medical illnesses cause major stress for patients and caregivers, but existing tools are inadequate to assess mechanistic response patterns to these stressors.
Cross-Sectional (n=246)
None
No
p-value: p=<0.001
The validated task enables dyadic stress assessment in cancer; leaves open extension to cardiovascular caregiver research.
BACKGROUND: Medical illnesses are major stressors not only for the patients but also for their family caregivers, yet existing tools are inadequate to assess mechanistic response patterns to such stressors. PURPOSE: We sought to validate a stress induction task that pertains to close relationships and health-related concerns with adult patients with cancer and their family caregivers. METHODS: Patients newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer (n = 123, 56 years old, 34% female, 60% Hispanic, 6.5 months post-diagnosis) and their family caregivers (55 years old, 66% female, 59% Hispanic) underwent an experimental session during which both individuals imagined a scenario where one person is hit by a car (patient) and the partner (caregiver) has no means to provide or seek out help for the victim. The session consisted of 6 phases: baseline, scenario provision, speech preparation, speech by caregiver, speech by patient, and recovery. RESULTS: Results of general linear modeling with repeated measures revealed that the task induced significant affective, stress, and cardiovascular responses in both patients and caregivers. Stress reactivity and recovery patterns, however, varied by patients versus caregivers, stress induction phases, and the types of assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the newly developed stress task as an acceptable tool for studying stress regulation in medical and family contexts. With further validation, this tool may help identify psychological and physiological pathways to improve the stress coping outcomes of adult patients with cancer and their family caregivers.
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Kim et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Colorectal cancer and family caregivers (n=246). STress Induction Tool for Close relationships and Health (STITCH) task vs. Baseline (within-subject) was evaluated on Affective, stress, and cardiovascular responses across task phases (p=<0.001). The STITCH task successfully induced significant affective, stress, and cardiovascular responses in both patients with colorectal cancer and their family caregivers.
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