Readiness of Caregivers for Individuals Diagnosed with Cancer: Health Perception as a Determinant

Objective: This study investigated the association between caregivers’ readiness to provide care and their perception of health in the context of cancer care, and assessed whether health perception serves as a predictor of readiness to provide care.Methods: This descriptive correlational study included 223 caregivers of oncology patients. Data were collected between January and October 2025 using an introductory information form, the Readiness to Provide Care Scale, and the Health Perception Scale via Google Forms. Ethical approval was obtained. Data were analyzed using Spearman correlation, Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests, and regression analysis to assess the predictive effect of health perception on caregiving readiness.Results: The mean age of individuals providing care to oncology patients was 43.09±11.265. The duration of care provision was found to be 12.085±12.991. The mean score on the readiness to provide care scale was 22.758±6.895, the mean score on the health perception scale was 47.35 ± 6.539, and the mean scores on the health perception scale subdimensions were 13.964±4.102, certainty 12.359±3.389, importance of health 11.009±2.034, and self-awareness 10.018±2.112. When examining the Health Perception Scale, a negative relationship was found between age and duration of caregiving, while positive relationships were found among the subdimensions of the Readiness to Provide Care Scale.Conclusion: This study determined that there is a significant relationship between the health perceptions of individuals caring for cancer patients and their level of readiness to provide care. It reveals that as caregivers' health perceptions increase, their level of readiness to provide care also increases.