Resilience and Burden Related to Clinical Assistance: a Clinical Psychological Study.

Abstract

Background: The literature consistently highlights the significant burden faced by healthcare professionals, often describing caregivers as "invisible patients." Resilience is a critical factor in their well-being and quality of life. This study aimed to examine the presence of variables such as resilience and burden in caregivers, along with factors like age, gender, education, and work commitment, to understand the correlations among these independent and clinical variables.

Methods: The sample consisted of 126 carers aged 18-30 years old (M: 26.15; SD: 3.21) with a 77.8% of the sample being female. The variables included the socio-demographic (age, sex, education, hours/days of speech per week and years of service) and clinical status, therefore burden (time dependence, development, physical, social and emotional burden) and resilience (self-perception, planned future, social competence, structured style, family cohesion and social resources).

Results: Regarding the correlational analyses involving socio-demographic variables and resilience, only a few significant correlations were found. However, significant positive correlations were identified between socio-demographic variables and burden, specifically with age, hours and days of work per week, and years of service. Conversely, education showed a significant negative correlation with burden, highlighting its protective role. Significant correlations between resilience and burden variables were generally positive, except for self-perception and developmental burden. Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed numerous dependencies, with predictors such as age, sex, education, hours/days of work per week, and years of service influencing the dependent variables related to burden and resilience.

Conclusions: This study examined fundamental socio-demographic, occupational, and psychological variables in the lives of caregivers. It highlights not only the presence of factors that negatively impact caregivers' quality of life but also important relationships between personal variables, resilience, and burden risk. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the findings of this study, along with existing literature, to design interventions aimed at reducing burdens and improving the quality of life for caregivers.