Social support in the relationship between perceived informal caregiver burden and general health of female caregivers

Autor
Resumen
Background/objective: Informal caregiving has a negative impact on the health of caregivers, a role that is mainly played by women. In this context, the objectives of this study were to: (1)assess the physical, mental and overall state of health of female caregivers; (2)study the relationship between their health and caregiving-related burden; and (3)investigate the mediating effect of social support in the relationship between perceived burden related to informal caregiving and the general health of caregivers. Method: The sample was composed of 250 women living in the Basque Country (Spain), aged between 30 and 84 years old (M = 58.66; SD = 10.46). Data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics; the Zarit Burden Interview, SF-12 and Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey were used to measure caregiver burden; quality of life social support respectively. Results: Overall, 27.2\% of female caregivers reported chronic health problems. There was a link between higher perceived burden and poorer general health in women especially when less social support was available. Further, social support mediated the relationship between perceived burden and general health. Conclusions: Women s caregiver burden has a negative impact on their overall health and social support.
Palabras clave
Revista académica
Ansiedad y Estrés
Año de publicación
2019
Volumen
25
Incidencia
1
Número de páginas
20-27
Fecha de publicación
06/2019
Tipo de artículo
Journal aricle
Numero ISSN
1134-7937
Número ISBN
2174-0437
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Summary
DOI
10.1016/j.anyes.2019.04.001