The Relationship between Caregiver Burden and Spiritual Intelligence in Caregivers of Breast Cancer Patients

Background: Breast cancer patients’ caregivers seem to face several challenges and problems that affect their physical and mental health. Spiritual intelligence, as the foundation of individuals› beliefs, plays an essential role in promoting the mental health of caregivers. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between caregiver burden and spiritual intelligence in caregivers of breast cancer patients. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 309 breast cancer caregivers at Shahid Ramezanzadeh Radiotherapy Center, Yazd, Iran, based on census method in 2020. Data were collected using three questionnaires: Demographic Information, caregiver burden inventory (CBI) and Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI). Statistical analyses were done using Spearman’s rank correlation, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test in SPSS-20. Results: The mean total score of caregiver burden was 48.12±20.93. The highest and the lowest mean scores were in the dimension of social pressure (10.33±5.09) and physical pressure (8.14±4.09), respectively. The mean total score of spiritual intelligence in caregivers was (67.32±30.84). The highest mean score was in the transcendent awareness dimension (20.54±18.75) and the lowest was in the personal meaning production dimension (13.07±6.10). There was a significant inverse relationship between the mean total score of spiritual intelligence and caregiver burden (r=- 0.63, P<0.001). Conclusion: Caregivers of breast cancer patients who have more spiritual intelligence, experience less burden of care. In fact, higher levels of spiritual intelligence act as a protective factor against the burden of care. Therefore, strengthening spiritual intelligence in oncology and radiotherapy centers is recommended.