Caregivers of Patients with Decompensated Cirrhosis Experience High Psychological Distress and Burden

Strategic Insights -

Caregivers play a crucial role in supporting patients with decompensated cirrhosis while often enduring significant psychological distress themselves. Despite their essential role in medical decision-making, there are no studies examining the associations between caregiver-hepatologist prognostic communication and caregivers' psychological outcomes. A recent study published in Liver Transplantation investigated the relationships between prognostic communication, psychological distress, and caregiving burden among caregivers of patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

Key Takeaways:

  • 78% of adult caregivers of patients with decompensated cirrhosis (n=127/162) reported clinically significant anxiety symptoms, with 35% reporting clinically significant depression symptoms.
  • 85% of caregivers had never participated in prognostic communication with their hepatologists about patients' end-of-life care preferences.
  • Higher frequency of prognostic communication with the patient's hepatologist was associated with lower caregiving burden (beta=-4.82, p=0.01).
  • Receipt of adequate information about the patient's prognosis was associated with lower caregiving burden (beta=-4.21, p=0.02).
  • Rating the prognostic communication from the patient's hepatologist as high-quality was associated with lower caregiver anxiety symptoms (beta=-2.31, p=0.03).
  • Frequency and adequacy of prognostic communication were not significantly associated with caregivers' anxiety and depression symptoms.
  • Quality of prognostic communication was not significantly associated with caregiving burden or depression symptoms.

Statistics:

  • 78% of caregivers reported clinically significant anxiety symptoms (HADS subscale = 8).
  • 35% of caregivers reported clinically significant depression symptoms (HADS subscale = 8).
  • 52% of caregivers reported clinically significant anxiety symptoms (HADS subscale = 8).
  • 85% of caregivers had never participated in prognostic communication with their hepatologists about patients' end-of-life care preferences.
  • 27% of caregivers reported high caregiving burden (ZBI-12 20).

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital Detail Findings in Anxiety Disorders (Prognostic Communication, Psychological Distress, and Caregiving Burden Among Caregivers of Patients With Decompensated Cirrhosis). Psychology & Psychiatry Journal. November 1, 2025; p 2055.
  • Ufere, N. N., et al. Prognostic Communication, Psychological Distress, and Caregiving Burden Among Caregivers of Patients With Decompensated Cirrhosis. Liver Transplantation, 2025.
  • Liver Transplantation. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - www.wiley.com/; Liver Transplantation - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1527-6473)