Objective

To determine which structural, intermediary, and family overload factors explain the quality of life of family caregivers of cancer patients receiving palliative care based on the Determinants of Health proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Materials and Methods

Analytical, cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic sample of 212 family caregivers of cancer patients. The variable 'quality of life' was measured using the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36 v.2). For the descriptive analysis, relative frequencies, means and standard deviations were used. To analyze the effect of structural and intermediary determinants and overload on quality of life, different linear regression models were estimated. These models were calculated with robust standard errors to deal with possible problems based on the assumption of heterocedasticity.

Results

The best levels of health were associated with physical function, with a mean score of 86.9 points, while social function reported an average of 51.4. The structural and intermediary variables, in the case of physical and mental health, had a statistically significant relationship with sex and caregiver overload. Being a widower decreased the mental health scale by 13.4 points in relation to married people; having a history of morbidity reduced the mental health scale by 9.4 points.

Conclusions

The female sex and overload affect the quality of life and health of caregivers. Further studies should focus on the person with cancer, sex and caregiver overload.