Informal caregiver burden among carers of bedridden elderly: a cross sectional study in North Kerala

Authors

  • Anjala V. Sajeev OLA Foundation, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
  • Cyril John Department of Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20241838

Keywords:

Informal caregiver, Burden, Bedridden elderly, North Kerala, Depression, Stress, Anxiety

Abstract

Background: In the cultural context of India, informal caregiving stands as the foremost form of support to the elderly. This study investigates the status of caregiver burden and it’s psychological impact on informal caregivers of bedridden elderly in rural north Kerala, India. The study also delves into the socio-demographic factors associated with caregiver burden as well as psychological distress among family caregivers.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study. The data was collected from (n=120) caregivers using the burden assessment scale and psychological distress assessment scale. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tests were employed in this study.

Results: The study results reveal that female informal caregivers experience a higher caregiver burden compared to the male counterpart. Most caregivers experience mild to moderate levels of burden and significant levels of stress anxiety and depression. Caregiver burden has a significant difference with the type of relationship with the care recipient and duration of care.

Conclusions: This study implies that there is a need for multifaceted interventions to alleviate the caregiver burden and address the psychological manifestations among caregivers.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Ageing and health; 2022. World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health. Accessed: 02 January 2024.

International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), National Programme for Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE), MoHFW, Harvard TH. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Southern California (USC) 2020. Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1, 2017-18, India Report, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai; 2020.

Gustafsson LK, Morell A, Johansson I, Ray S. Informal caregiving from the perspectives of older people living alone in India. International Journal of Older People Nursing. 2022;e12468.

Verma R, Khanna P. National Program of Health-Care for the Elderly in India: A Hope for Healthy Ageing.International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2013;4(10):1103-7.

Ugargol AP, Bailey A. Family caregiving for older adults: gendered roles and caregiver burden in emigrant households of Kerala, India, Asian Population Studies. 2017;14(2):194-210.

Reinhard SC, Given B, Petlick NH, Bemis A. Supporting Family Caregivers in Providing Care. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses; 2008.

Dijkman BL, Luttik ML, Wal-Huisman H, Paans W, Leeuwen BL. Factors influencing family involvement in treatment decision-making for older patients with cancer: A scoping review. J Geriatr Oncol. 2022;13(4):391-7.

Plöthner M, Schmidt K, de Jong L, Zeidler J, Damm K. Needs and preferences of informal caregivers regarding outpatient care for the elderly: a systematic literature review. BMC Geriatrics. 2019;19(1).

Doty P, Jackson ME, Crown W. The Impact of Female Caregivers’ Employment Status on Patterns of Formal and Informal Eldercare. The Gerontologist. 1998;38(3):331-41.

Yu DSF, Cheng S-T, Wang J. ‘Unravelling positive aspects of caregiving in dementia: An integrative review of research literature’, International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2018;79:1-26.

Yuan, Q. Positive aspects of caregiving among informal caregivers of persons with dementia in the Asian context: A qualitative study. BMC Geriatrics. 2023;23(1).

Fan H, Zhang X, Wang Y, Peng Z, Chu L, Coyte PC. Does the provision of informal care matter for caregivers’ mental health? Evidence from China. Geriatric Nursing. 2022;48:14-23.

Schulz R, Beach SR, Czaja SJ, Martire LM, Monin JK. Family Caregiving for Older Adults. Annu Rev Psychol. 2020;71:635-59.

Pinquart M, Sörensen S. Differences between caregivers and non caregivers in psychological health and physical health: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 2003;18(2):250-67.

Kim G, Allen RS, Wang SY, Park S, Perkins EA, Parmelee P. The Relation Between Multiple Informal Caregiving Roles and Subjective Physical and Mental Health Status Among Older Adults: Do Racial/Ethnic Differences Exist? The Gerontologist. 2019;59(3):499-508.

Pinquart M, Sörensen S. Spouses, adult children, and children-in-law as caregivers of older adults: a meta-analytic comparison. Psychol Aging. 2011;26(1):1-14.

Michael M, Magdalena H. Family Caregiver’s Quality of Life of Elderly Parent with Alzheimer’s Disease. ANIMA Indonesian Psychological Journal. 2019;34:22-9.

Al-Rawashdeh SY, Lennie TA, Chung ML. Psychometrics of the Zarit Burden Interview in Caregivers of Patients With Heart Failure. The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. 2016;31(6):E21-E28.

Chiao CY, Wu HS, Hsiao CY. Caregiver burden for informal caregivers of patients with dementia: A systematic review. International Nursing Review. 2015;62(3):340-50.

Ugargol AP, Bailey A. Family caregiving for older adults: gendered roles and caregiver burden in emigrant households of Kerala, India, Asian Population Studies. 2017;14(2):194-210.

Swinkels J, Tilburg T van, Verbakel E, Broese van Groenou M. Explaining the Gender Gap in the Caregiving Burden of Partner Caregivers. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. 2019;74(2):309-17.

Liu Z, Heffernan C, Tan J. Caregiver burden: A concept analysis. Int J Nurs Sci. 2020;7(4):438-445.

Tuttle D, Griffiths J, Kaunnil A. Predictors of caregiver burden in caregivers of older people with physical disabilities in a rural community. PLoS One. 2022;17(11):e0277177.

Stratmann M. Informal care and the impact on depression and anxiety among Swedish adults: A population-based Cohort Study’, BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1).

Chang HY, Chiou CJ, Chen N Sen. Impact of mental health and caregiver burden on family caregivers’ physical health. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2010;50(3):267-71.

Yikilkan H, Aypak C, Görpelioǧlu S. Depression, Anxiety and Quality of Life in Caregivers of Long-Term Home Care Patients. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing. 2014;28(3):193-6.

Brinda EM, Rajkumar AP, Enemark U, Attermann J, Jacob KS. Cost and burden of informal caregiving of dependent older people in a rural Indian community. BMC Health Services Research. 2014;14(1).

Sakakibara K, Kabayama M, Ito M. Experiences of "endless" caregiving of impaired elderly at home by family caregivers: a qualitative study. BMC Res Notes. 2015;8:827.

Ahmad Zubaidi ZS, Ariffin F, Oun CTC, Katiman D. Caregiver burden among informal caregivers in the largest specialized palliative care unit in Malaysia: a cross sectional study. BMC Palliative Care. 2020;19(1):1-15.

Bédard M, Molloy DW, Squire L, Dubois S, Lever JA, et al. The Zarit Burden Interview: a new short version and screening version. The gerontologist. 2001;41(5):652-7.

Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH. The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 1995;33(3):335-43.

Unnikrishnan B, Rathi P, Saxena PUP, Aggarwal A, Shekhar S, Bansal S, et al. Psychosocial Burden Among Informal Caregivers of Adult Cancer Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Cancer Center in Coastal South India. Sage Open. 2019;9(3).

Marinho JDS, Batista IB, Nobre RADS, Guimarães MSA, Dos Santos-Orlandi AA, Brito TRP, et al. Burden, satisfaction caregiving, and family relations in informal caregivers of older adults. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022;9:1059467.

Gomes NP, Pedreira LC, Gomes NP, Fonseca EOS, Reis LAD, Santos AA. Health-related consequences of caring for dependent relatives in older adult caregivers. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2019;53:e03446

Sharma N, Chakrabarti S, Grover S. Gender differences in caregiving among family - caregivers of people with mental illnesses. World J Psychiatry. 2016;6(1):7-17.

Xiong C, Biscardi M, Astell A, Nalder E, Cameron JI, Mihailidis A, et al. Sex and gender differences in caregiving burden experienced by family caregivers of persons with dementia: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2020;15(4):e0231848.

Van Hof KS, Hoesseini A, Dorr MC, Verdonck-de Leeuw IM, Jansen F, Leemans CR, et al. Caregiver Burden, Psychological Distress and Quality of Life among Informal Caregivers of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Longitudinal Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(23):16304.

Bevans M, Sternberg EM. Caregiving burden, stress, and health effects among family caregivers of adult cancer patients. JAMA. 2012;307(4):398-403.

Werdani YDW. Length of caring duration increases burden and reduces health status of cancer patients’ family caregivers in Surabaya, Indonesia. Public Health and Preventive Medicine Archive. 2022;8(1).

Chakraborty R, Jana A, Vibhute VM. Caregiving: a risk factor of poor health and depression among informal caregivers in India- A comparative analysis. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):42.

Downloads

Published

2024-06-28

How to Cite

Sajeev, A. V., & John, C. (2024). Informal caregiver burden among carers of bedridden elderly: a cross sectional study in North Kerala. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 11(7), 2780–2786. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20241838

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles