The effect of mindfulness-based compassionate living training for informal caregivers of palliative inpatients on burnout and caregiving burden: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) training given to the informal caregivers of palliative patients on burnout and caregiving burden. A single-blind, randomized, controlled, experimental study was conducted with 54 caregivers of patients admitted to a hospital palliative care unit. The participants were randomly allocated to the experimental group (n = 26) and control group (n = 28). The experimental group received MBCL training twice a week for 4 weeks. Data were collected before and after the intervention using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Caregiver Burden Scale and Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form. The data were analyzed using kurtosis and skewness coefficients, number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, chi-square test, independent samples t test, Wilcoxon signed ranks test and Mann-Whitney U test in SPSS version 22.0. The informal caregivers in the experimental group demonstrated a significant decrease in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores and an increase in personal accomplishment and self-compassion scores in posttest assessments after the MBCL intervention (P < 0.05). All of these parameters differed significantly between the experimental and control groups after the intervention (P < 0.05). MBCL training seems to be effective in reducing emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and increasing personal accomplishment and self-compassion among informal caregivers of palliative inpatients. The results of this study can be generalized to the caretakers of patients receiving palliative care in university hospitals.