Assessment of quality of life, anxiety and depression among the caregivers of chronic liver disease patients admitted to a public hospital of South Punjab Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20251362Keywords:
Anxiety, Depression, Quality of life, Chronic liver diseaseAbstract
Background: Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a major global health concern, impacting not only patients but also their caregivers. Caregivers are essential in managing patients’ physical and emotional needs, which can affect their own mental well-being and quality of life. However, limited research has explored the psychological and emotional health of caregivers of CLD patients.
Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the quality of life, anxiety, and depression among caregivers of CLD patients. A total of 250 caregivers were recruited from Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Pakistan. The generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale was used to measure anxiety, patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, and the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) descriptive system for quality of life assessment.
Results: Among the caregivers, 56.8% were female, 80.4% were first-degree relatives, and 65.6% lived in rural areas. Most caregivers (43.2%) were aged 31–45 years, with 48.8% having provided care for 3–10 months. Mental health assessments revealed that many caregivers experienced mild to moderate anxiety and depression, reporting symptoms like nervousness, excessive worrying, low energy, and disturbed sleep. Quality of life assessments showed that caregivers commonly experienced slight to moderate difficulties in mobility, self-care, and performing daily activities.
Conclusions: Caregivers of CLD patients face considerable emotional and psychological challenges, including elevated levels of anxiety and depression and reduced quality of life. These findings emphasize the urgent need for healthcare systems to acknowledge the caregiver burden and offer appropriate psychological support and resources to improve caregiver well-being.
Metrics
References
Mokdad AA, Lopez AD, Shahraz S, Lozano R, Mokdad AH, Stanaway J, et al. Liver cirrhosis mortality in 187 countries between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis. BMC Med. 2014;12:145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-014-0145-y
Rakoski MO, McCammon RJ, Piette JD, Iwashyna TJ, Marrero JA, Lok AS, et al. Burden of cirrhosis on Older Americans and their families: analysis of the health and retirement study. Hepatology. 2012;55(1):184-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.24616
Ferenci P. Hepatic encephalopathy. Gastroenterol Rep. 2017;5(2):138-47. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/gastro/gox013
Younossi Z, Henry L. Overall health-related quality of life in patients with end-stage liver disease. Clin Liver Dis. 2015;5(3):9-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cld.480
Bolden L, Wicks MN. Predictors of mental health, subjective burden, and rewards in family caregivers of patients with chronic liver disease. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2010;24(2):89-103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2009.04.010
Nguyen DL, Chao D, Ma G, Morgan T. Quality of life and factors predictive of burden among primary caregivers of chronic liver disease patients. Ann Gastroenterol. 2015;28(1):124-9.
Bolkhir A, Loiselle MM, Evon DM, Hayashi PH. Depression in primary caregivers of patients listed for liver or kidney transplantation. Prog Transplant. 2007;17(3):193-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/152692480701700306
Bailey DE Jr, Hendrix CC, Steinhauser KE, Stechuchak KM, Porter LS, Hudson J, et al. Randomized trial of an uncertainty self-management telephone intervention for patients awaiting liver transplant. Patient Educ Couns. 2017;100(3):509-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.10.017
Miyazaki ET, dos Santos RJ, Miyazaki MC, Domingos NM, Felicio HC, Rocha MF, et al. Patients on the waiting list for liver transplantation: caregiver burden and stress. Liver Transpl. 2010;16(10):1164-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lt.22130
Bajaj JS, Wade JB, Gibson DP, Heuman DM, Thacker LR, Sterling RK, et al. The multi-dimensional burden of cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy on patients and caregivers. Am J Gastroenterol. 2011;106:1646-53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ajg.2011.157
Pinquart M, Sörensen S. Gender differences in caregiver stress: A meta-analysis. Psychol Aging. 2003;18(2):250-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.18.2.250
Vitaliano PP, Zhang J, Scanlan JM. Is caregiving a risk factor for physical illness? Psychol Bull. 2003;129(6):946-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.6.946
Luthar SS, Cichetti D. The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Dev. 2000;71(3):543-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00164
Schulz R, Sherwood PR. Physical and mental health effects of family caregiving. J Soc Work Educ. 2008;44(2):189-96. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2008.773247702
Schulz R, Beach SR, Lind B, McGinnis KA, Stevens A, Zhang S. Long-term care placement of dementia patients and caregiver depression. JAMA. 2012;307(4):448-55.
Haley WE, LaMonde LA, Han B, Burton AM, Schonwetter R. Predictors of depression and life satisfaction in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease. J Clin Geropsychol. 2003;9(3):155-64.
Pereira MG, Rodrigues A, Batista F. The burden of caregiving in chronic illness: A review of the literature. J Chronic Dis. 2019;42(1):14-29.
Gallagher-Thompson D, Coon DW, Gross CR. The impact of caregiver health and well-being on the care recipient: A review of the literature. Aging Ment Health. 2006;10(3):281-7.
Koyama A, Wada K, Imai Y. Mental health of family caregivers in Japan: A comparison with other countries. Asian J Psychiatry. 2010;3(4):215-20.
Schulz R, Beach SR, Lind B, McGinnis KA, Stevens A, Zhang S. Long-term care placement of dementia patients and caregiver depression. JAMA. 2012;307(4):448-55.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
