ObjectiveTo explore the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and its related factors among the family caregivers of the disabled elderly. MethodsA cross-sectional survey based on convenience sampling was conducted among family caregivers between November and December, 2013 in Dongcheng district in Beijing. The Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used to evaluate caregivers' anxious symptoms and social support status respectively. The degree of functional impairment of the elderly was measured by Barthel index. ResultsA total of 243 family caregivers took part in the study including 88 males and 155 females. The average age of the family caregivers was (60±1.7) years old, ranging from 25 to 85. The prevalence rate of anxiety was 29.2% reported by family caregivers. The average score of SAS was 35.6±8.6. The risk factors of caregivers' anxiety included Barthel index score ≤20 (OR=1.51), SSRS score ≤33 (OR=4.56), no time to relax (OR=1.57) and poor health status caregivers feeling (OR=3.48). ConclusionA relative high level of anxiety exists in family caregivers for the disabled elderly. Caregiver anxiety is a complex process, influenced by diverse care receiver and caregiver characteristics.
ObjectiveTo investigate the quality of life of family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to explore the related factors. MethodsTwenty family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease were surveyed with short form 36 health survey questionnaire between October 2013 and August 2014. ResultsThe subjects who were over 60 years old had lower scores in the dimensions of physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problem and role limitations due to emotional problem than those below 60 years old. Female subjects scored better than male subjects in the dimension of vitality. The sons and daughters had higher scores than the wives and husbands in the dimensions of physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problem and role limitations due to emotional problem. The subjects whose patients had medical insurance scored better than those whose patients with no insurance. The differences above were all statistically significant. The scores of caregivers with senior middle school edudation or above were higher than the caregivers with lower education level in the dimensions of mental health, vitality and general health perceptions. ConclusionThe quality of life of the family members of AD patients is obviously affected by many factors. It is very important to implement planned, targeted, reasonable and effective interventions to enhance the quality of life of these people.
Objective To understand the current situation of the care burden of primary caregiver of patients with oral diquat poisoning, analyze its influencing factors, and analyze the mediating effect of psychological resilience in social support and care burden, so as to provide a theoretical basis for further clinical intervention. Methods The primary caregivers of patients with oral diquat poisoning who received treatment at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University between October 2019 and October 2021 were selected. The general information questionnaire, Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), Connor-davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Social Support Revalued Scale (SSRS) were used to investigate the primary caregivers of patients with oral diquat poisoning. The influencing factors of the care burden on primary caregivers were analyzed. Results A total of 218 patients and their primary caregivers were included. The age of the primary caregivers, whether they were an only child, physical condition, educational level, economic income, daily care time, patient’s condition, and patient’s urinary concentration of diquat were the influencing factors of ZBI. The SSRS score of the primary caregiver was 26.97±10.21, the CD-RISC score was 56.95±26.64, and the ZBI score was 52.95±16.06. The burden of care was negatively correlated with social support (r=−0.369, P<0.05), the burden of care was negatively correlated with psychological resilience (r=−0.467, P<0.05), and social support was positively correlated with psychological resilience (r=0.288, P<0.05). The role of psychological resilience in the influence of social support and care burden was partly mediated, accounting for 41.905%. Conclusions The level of social support and psychological resilience of the primary caregivers is low, and the burden of care is heavy. Psychological resilience plays an intermediary role in the social support and care burden of the primary caregivers of patients with oral diquat poisoning. Clinical staff can carry out targeted intervention to improve the level of social support and psychological resilience and reduce the care burden.
Family resilience is an important ability for families to cope with stress and adversity. This article systematically sorts out the theoretical system and practical application of family resilience, focusing on the improvement path of family resilience for caregiver. It integrates domestic and foreign research results from the dimensions of theoretical connotation, influencing factors, and intervention projects. Based on the analysis of the systemic deficiencies and weak sustainability of existing intervention plans, this paper proposes a research outlook on the resilience of caregivers’ families in the future, which has important reference value for improving the research paradigm of family resilience.