The Effectiveness of Web-based Self-Compassion Training on Caregiving Burden and Quality of Life of Family Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Study Protocol for a Single-blind, Two-arm Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial

Family caregivers of cancer patients, especially advanced cancer patients, face a significant load of care and also decline in life quality. Caregiving challenges are related to feelings of guilt, self-criticism, and shame. Self-compassion is also linked to reduced negative emotions and increased effective coping strategies. Due to time constraints and limited access to in-person support, web-based training can provide an accessible and cost-effective option for caregivers. This single-blind randomized controlled trial evaluates whether web-based self-compassion training based on Compassion-Focused Therapy improves quality of life and reduces the burden of care among Family Caregivers of patients with advanced cancer. A total of 96 caregivers aged 18 and above in oncology and palliative care units will be randomly assigned to the Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) group or the Treatment as Usual (TAU) group. The CFT group will receive eight sessions of web-based self-compassion training over four weeks (two sessions per week), while the TAU group will receive usual care. Data will be collected using the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) to assess caregiving burden and the Caregiver Quality of Life Index–Cancer Scale (CQOLC) to assess life quality in three phases: baseline, immediately after completion of the training and four weeks after completion of the training. In addition, two researcher-developed instruments will be used: The Compassion-Focused Therapy Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Compassion-Focused Therapy Adherence Scale. Data will be analysed using linear mixed-effects modelling in R to evaluate the effectiveness of the CFT treatment. This study may assess whether web-based self-compassion training leads to a reduction in caregiving burden and an improvement quality of life for family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.