DID I DO THE RIGHT THING? - MORAL AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN ONCOLOGY FAMILY CAREGIVING - research findings

Sep 29, 2026

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Family caregivers play a central role in cancer care, yet many challenges involve moral uncertainty and ethical tension rather than straightforward logistics. This preliminary descriptive study develops a caregiver-informed typology of moral and ethical dilemmas using inductive thematic analysis of initial interviews from a qualitative study, with iterative coding and consensus resolution. Four moral themes and two ethical tensions are identified, with hybrid cases common and moral residue often following decisions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Study purpose

Methods and analytic approach

Moral themes

Ethical tensions

Implications for caregiver support

1060 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.3568 DID I DO THE RIGHT THING? MORAL AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN ONCOLOGY FAMILY CAREGIVING Jacquelyn Benson1, Christi Lero1, J. Peter Siriprakorn2, Anaika Bedi1, and Nashua Haque3, 1. Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 2. Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 3. Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States Family caregivers are central to cancer care, yet many difficulties extend beyond logistics of caregiving to dilemmas marked by moral uncertainty and ethical tension. Such dilemmas require value trade-offs rather than straightforward problem solving. U.S. research richly documents caregiver challenges but seldom characterizes moral/ethical dilemmas as caregivers themselves experience them. We report preliminary descriptive findings toward a caregiver-informed typology of moral and ethical dilemmas in cancer caregiving. Within an ongoing qualitative study, we conducted inductive thematic analysis of the initial interviews (20% of total sample) . Two coders independently reviewed transcripts, wrote reflexive memos, iteratively refined a codebook, and resolved differences by consensus. This analysis was restricted to segments coded as moral or ethical dilemmas; purely practical challenges without explicit value/principle conflict were noted but not analyzed here. Four moral themes emerged: (1) truth-hope stewardship (balancing honesty with preserving hope); (2) rescue vs acceptance near end of life (e.g., whether to call 911 or escalate care); (3) good-caregiver identity vs. self-protection (managing others’ judgements while guarding emotional limits); and (4) goal-concordance uncertainty when preferences were unknown. Two ethical tensions were prominent: surrogate autonomy [vs. best](vs. best) interest and decisional capacity/ understanding at treatment turning points. Hybrid cases (moral + ethical) were common, and moral residue (“what ifs”) frequently followed decisions. Preliminary findings indicate caregiver routinely face moral/ethical dilemmas distinct from logistical barriers. A caregiver-informed typology can guide targeted supports (e.g., disclosure coaching, crisis planning, advance-care-planning prompts, post-decision debriefing) and sets up subsequent analyses of how caregivers navigate dilemmasand what impedes coping.

FAQs

How can the typology be used in practice?

The findings suggest caregiver-targeted supports such as disclosure coaching, crisis planning, advance-care-planning prompts, and post-decision debriefing to help caregivers navigate dilemmas and coping barriers.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by ahduag