Abstract: Objective: To investigate the current status of Anticipatory Grief among major family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer and to explore its influencing factors. Methods: Totally 164 primary family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer were investigated by general information questionnaire, Anticipatory Grief Scale (AGS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the main influencing factors of Anticipatory Grief among primary family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer. Results: The mean score of Anticipatory Grief Scale was (83.46±16.00). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, gender, educational background, relationship with patients, time of knowing disease, illness condition and mental resilience were the main factors (P<0.05). Conclusion: The primary family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer have serious Anticipatory Grief. The medical staff should pay attention to the mental status of the caregivers and take effective measures to promote their physical and mental health.

Key words: cancer; family caregivers; Anticipatory Grief; influencing factors