A Mixed-method Study on Coping Mechanism among Caregivers of Thalassemia Patients Attending A Tertiary Care Hospital in West Bengal, India

Introduction: Thalassemia is a severe chronic anaemia. Caregivers face many stresses to provide the best possible medical care for their children. They develop a variety of coping mechanism. Objectives: To determine coping mechanism among caregivers of thalassemia patients and its associated factors; To explore challenges faced by caregivers of thalassemia patients. Methods: Institutional based observational study with convergent parallel mixed method study design was conducted in tertiary care hospital at OPD of Haematology Department in Kolkata, India. Total of 130 caregivers were selected through systematic random sampling for the quantitative strand who were interviewed using pre-tested questionnaire and the Coping Health Inventory for Parents-45 (CHIP). Additionally, seven in-depth interviews were conducted for the qualitative strand. Data were analysed using MS Excel 2019, SPSS v25, and QDA Miner Lite v3.0.2 with coding and thematic analysis after data saturation. Results: Among the caregivers 55 (42.3%) and 75 (57.7%) were mothers and fathers respectively with median age of 34 years. The median total score of the CHIP was 75, where 49% caregivers had adequate and 51% had inadequate coping skills. There was significant association between inadequate coping with poor social support (p=0.045) and frequent blood transfusion interval (p=0.020). The qualitative strand of this mixed-methods study identified five major themes-health problems, self-negligence, financial issues, familial issues and spiritual beliefs. Conclusion: Nearly half of the caregivers exhibited inadequate coping due to poor social support and shorter intervals between blood transfusions. Comprehensive support systems are crucial to improve their coping and overall quality of life.