{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T17:24:53Z","timestamp":1787073893494,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787011200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov State Medical University","award":["13\/2-19-38-Ab"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["13\/2-19-38-Ab"]}]},{"award":["13\/2-19-38-Ab"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["13\/2-19-38-Ab"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04ehpm154","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nurs. Rep.","Nursing Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Family caregivers play a central role in supporting people with colorectal cancer (CRC) and often manage complex physical, emotional, and practical demands. However, evidence regarding their experiences and supportive care needs in Kazakhstan remains limited. This qualitative study explored caregiving experiences, caregiving burden, caregivers\u2019 needs, and coping strategies. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used, involving semi-structured interviews with 21 family caregivers caring for patients with CRC. Participants were recruited purposively from the Medical Center of West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University and outpatient clinics in Aktobe between December 2025 and March 2026. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Most family caregivers of patients with colorectal cancer were women (95.2%). Five main themes developed: emotional challenges, transformation of daily life, caregiving tasks, caregivers\u2019 needs and support gaps, and coping strategies and resilience. Diagnosis was described as a distressing experience characterized by shock, fear, and uncertainty. Caregiving substantially disrupted employment, financial stability, and family roles, often requiring work adjustment or leaving the workforce. Caregivers reported insufficient preparation for stoma care and expressed a strong need for structured training. Social isolation was common, as both caregivers and patients experienced a shrinking of their social support networks. Despite substantial burden, caregivers described adaptive responses to ongoing emotional and practical demands, and resilience was a prominent theme. Conclusions: Family caregivers of patients with colorectal cancer in Kazakhstan face interconnected emotional, informational, physical, and system-level challenges, while also drawing on resilience. The findings highlight priorities for support, including structured stoma care education, psychological services, recognition of caregivers\u2019 roles, and improved discharge and transitional care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nursrep16080288","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T16:12:11Z","timestamp":1787069531000},"page":"288","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Caregiving Experiences, Supportive Care Needs and Coping Strategies Among Family Caregivers of Patients with Colorectal Cancer in Kazakhstan: A Qualitative Descriptive Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5895-346X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gulbakit","family":"Koshmaganbetova","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Evidence-Based Medicine and Scientific Management, West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, Aktobe 030000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1609-8519","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Azamat","family":"Zharylgapov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Evidence-Based Medicine and Scientific Management, West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, Aktobe 030000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6164-8009","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arip","family":"Koishybaev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology, West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, Aktobe 030000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8339-9373","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nauryzbay","family":"Imanbayev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Thoraco-Abdominal Oncology Department, Kazakh Oncology Institute, Almaty 050000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5036-4898","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aliya","family":"Zhylkybekova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathological Physiology, West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, Aktobe 030000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"e70090","article-title":"Global cancer statistics 2024: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 34 cancers in 186 countries","volume":"76","author":"Sung","year":"2026","journal-title":"CA A Cancer J. 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