Factors associated with health‐related quality of life of informal caregivers of older patients and the mediating role of subjective caregivers' burden

Abstract

Background Caregiving has been associated with increased subjective burden and decreased health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) for caregivers. The aim of the study was to clarify the precise relationship between caregivers' burden, caregivers' HRQOL, and other risk factors, considering that subjective burden was a risk factor for poor HRQOL, which may also mediate the effects of some known risk factors. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, patients' and their informal caregivers' characteristics were recorded for 311 patient‐caregiver dyads. Subjective caregiver burden and caregivers' HRQOL were assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview and the 12‐item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐12), respectively. Mediation analysis was used to examine the relationships between variables. Caregivers' mental component summary (MCS) and physical component summary (PCS) scores were regarded as outcome variables, caregivers' subjective burden was considered the mediator, and patients' and caregivers' characteristics were treated as predictors. Results Caregivers' subjective burden was negatively related to both PCS and MCS of caregivers' HRQOL, after controlling for the effects of demographic and clinical variables. Moreover, significant associations, mostly indirect via caregivers' subjective burden, existed between caregivers' socio‐demographic characteristics, duration of caregiving, patients' frailty status, patients' co‐morbidity, and caregivers' HRQOL. Conclusion Caregivers' subjective burden plays a major and mediating role on influencing caregivers' HRQOL. Our findings may direct future research and promote the implementation of interventions to reduce caregivers' burden and improve caregivers' HRQOL.

The role of frailty among the predictors of depression on informal caregivers of older adults: a mediation analysis

“…This study is part of a research project dealing with informal caregiving for dependent, older care‐recipients. Other research results from this project have already been published 25,26 …”

“…Other research results from this project have already been published. 25,26 Definitions Older adults were considered those aged >65 years old. 27 Informal caregivers were considered those who provided unpaid care for a dependent older adult in at least two categories of the following: activities related to self-care and mobility, activities related to health or medical care, interactions with the healthcare system and providers, household tasks and transportation.…”

Psychosocial interventions aimed at family members caring for patients with cancer in the palliative period: A systematic review

“…The presence of such psychosocial problems in the patient and the caregiver gradually makes it difficult for patients with cancer to adapt to the disease and to their experiencing even more problems (Northouse & McCorkle, 2015). As patients' symptoms and period of care increase, this causes greater difficulties for the caregiver, and the caregiver burden grows in the face of these needs (von Heymann-Horan et al, 2018;Vrettos et al, 2023). The risk of developing psychological problems (Northouse & McCorkle, 2015;Petursdottir & Svavarsdottir, 2019 such as high anxiety and depression (Chong et al, 2022;von Heymann-Horan et al, 2018) increases as a result.…”