Caregiving burden, social support, and psychological well-being among family caregivers of older Italians: a cross-sectional study.

IF 3 3区医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Frontiers in Public Health Pub Date : 2024-10-23 eCollection Date: 2024-01-01 DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1474967

Ramona Bongelli, Gianluca Busilacchi, Antonio Pacifico, Michele Fabiani, Carmela Guarascio, Federico Sofritti, Giovanni Lamura, Sara Santini

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Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to identify factors affecting the psychological well-being of family caregivers of dependent older adults in Italy. Understanding these variables is essential for designing interventions to prevent negative outcomes in at-risk caregivers. The research explored how varying levels of caregiving burden and types of perceived social support influence psychological well-being.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 387 family caregivers of older adults in the Marche region (Italy) between November 2019 and March 2020. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire assessing psychological well-being (WHO-5 Well-Being Index), caregiving burden, and social support (COPE Index). Statistical analyses were performed using Jamovi software, with a significance threshold set at p < 0.05.

Results: A significant negative correlation was found between caregiving burden and psychological well-being [r (364) = - 0.540, p < 0.001], with caregiving burden being a significant predictor of psychological well-being reduction (R ² = 0.290; F = 150, p < 0.001). A threshold value of 2 (on a 1-4 scale) was identified, where caregiving burden predicted a significant reduction in psychological well-being. Conversely, greater perceived social support was positively correlated with better psychological well-being [r (357) = 0.348, p < 0.001] and was a significant predictor of it [R ² = 0.121; F = 49.2, p < 0.001]. Support from social and health services had the most notable impact on psychological well-being. Moreover, social support mitigated the negative impact of caregiving burden on psychological well-being.

Conclusion: The study confirms that high caregiving burden adversely affects caregivers' psychological well-being, while social support plays a protective role. These findings highlight the need for interventions focused on reducing caregiving burden and enhancing support systems for family caregivers.

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意大利老年人家庭照顾者的照顾负担、社会支持和心理健康：一项横断面研究。

研究目的本研究旨在确定影响意大利受抚养老年人家庭照顾者心理健康的因素。了解这些变量对于设计干预措施以防止高危照顾者出现负面结果至关重要。本研究探讨了不同程度的照顾负担和感知到的社会支持类型如何影响心理健康：在 2019 年 11 月至 2020 年 3 月期间，对马尔凯大区（意大利）的 387 名老年人家庭照顾者进行了一项横断面研究。通过结构化问卷收集数据，评估心理幸福感（WHO-5 幸福指数）、护理负担和社会支持（COPE 指数）。使用 Jamovi 软件进行统计分析，显著性阈值设定为 p 结果：发现护理负担与心理健康之间存在明显的负相关[r (364) = - 0.540, p R 2 = 0.290; F = 150, p r (357) = 0.348, p R 2 = 0.121; F = 49.2, p 结论：研究证实，护理负担过重会对护理人员的心理健康产生不利影响，而社会支持则起到保护作用。这些研究结果突出表明，有必要采取干预措施，重点减轻照顾者的负担并加强对家庭照顾者的支持系统。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Public Health Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

7.70%

发文量

4469

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Public Health is a multidisciplinary open-access journal which publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research and is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians, policy makers and the public worldwide. The journal aims at overcoming current fragmentation in research and publication, promoting consistency in pursuing relevant scientific themes, and supporting finding dissemination and translation into practice. Frontiers in Public Health is organized into Specialty Sections that cover different areas of research in the field. Please refer to the author guidelines for details on article types and the submission process.