Caregiver Burden in Pulmonary Patients

Creative Commons License

Yılmaz Kara B., Toprak D., Kara E., Özçelik N., Özyurt S., Karadoğan D., ...More

JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORK, vol.66, no.3, pp.400-412, 2023 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 66 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/01634372.2022.2103762
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORK
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, IBZ Online, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, AgeLine, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.400-412
  • Keywords: Caregivers, caregiver burden, lung diseases, pulmonary, QUALITY-OF-LIFE, INFORMAL CAREGIVERS
  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Caregiving has become an increasingly important medical and social issue in recent decades. We performed a cross-sectional study on pulmonary patients and accompanying informal caregivers who were hospitalized in the chest disease ward of a tertiary center in Turkey between January 2020 and April 2021. Informal caregivers were asked to complete the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview. A total of 141 inpatients (39% female, mean age: 76.8 +/- 10.2 years) and their informal caregivers (77% female, mean age: 54 +/- 11.9 years) were evaluated. The caregivers were classified as light to medium burden (group 1, burden score <= 40) and medium to heavy burden (group 2, burden score >40). The mean burden score was 35.7 +/- 13.3 points. The number of female caregivers was higher in group 2 (p = 0.025). There was a positive correlation between the burden score and female gender (p = 0.002) and the number of chronic diseases of caregivers (p = 0.020). Statistical analysis revealed a negative correlation between the burden score and the level of education (r = > -0.174, p = 0.040). Caregiver burden is related to the characteristics of the caregiver rather than those of the patient being cared for. Female caregivers with lower education and more than one chronic disease perceive a higher caregiver burden.