Ni Putu-Wulan Purnama Sari, Adrino Mazenda, Minh-Phuong Thi Duong, Made Mahaguna Putra, Pande Made Arbi Yudamuckti, Minh-Hoang Nguyen, Quan-Hoang Vuong
This study aimed to examine how types of demanded healthcare information are associated with the need for support in cancer fear management among family caregivers (FCGs) of female cancer patients. The mindsponge theory was used in conceptual development and interpretation. Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics were used for statistical analysis on a dataset of 48 spouses (husbands) and 12 other family members in five congested communities of Surabaya, Indonesia. Among the six types of healthcare information, FCGs with higher demand for cancer-specific information (MInformation_Cancer_FearManagement = 0.41; SInformation_Cancer_FearManagement = 0.25) and information on cancer physical needs (MInformation_PhysicalNeed_FearManagement = 0.32; SInformation_PhysicalNeed_FearManagement = 0.21) were more likely to need support in reducing the fear of female cancer patients. Meanwhile, FCGs with a higher demand for information on support services (MInformation_SupportServices_FearManagement = − 0.33; SInformation_SupportServices_FearManagement = 0.22) were less likely to need support to reduce cancer patients’ fear. Other types of healthcare information have ambiguous effects on the need for support in reducing cancer-induced fear. This study underscores that the demanded cancer-specific information, such as information on cancer prognosis and therapeutic outcomes, and the demanded cancer physical needs information are priorities in information disclosure to FCGs to assist their role in cancer fear management. © The Author(s) 2025.
Faculty of Nursing, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Surabaya, Indonesia; Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, School of Public Management and Administration, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa; Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Central Java, Surakarta, Indonesia; Installation of Central Surgery and Anesthesia, Regional Public Hospital of Bali Mandara, Bali, Denpasar, Indonesia; Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Viet Nam; University College, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea