Caregiver burden and quality of life in palliative care: cross-sectional study.

Background: Literature on caregiver burden is limited in India and Kerala. We examined the prevalence and factors associated with caregiver burden and its impact on their quality of life.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 115 informal caregivers (mean age 70 years, 80% female) of palliative care patients in Kerala. Caregivers were interviewed using the Zarit Burden Interview-22 and the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires. Factors associated with caregiver burden were analysed using binary logistic regression.

Results: The prevalence of moderate to severe burden was 32.1% (95% CI 23.7% to 41.5%), with 6.2% reporting severe burden (95% CI 2.4% to 12.1%). Caregivers of patients aged ≥73 years (adjusted OR (aOR)=7.19, 95% CI 1.87 to 27.71, p=0.004), children acting as caregivers (aOR=11.09, 95% CI 1.21 to 101.03, p=0.033) and those caring for patients with prolonged disease duration (aOR=3.62, 95% CI 1.04 to 12.67, p=0.044) reported significantly higher burden compared with their counterparts. Moderate to severe burden was associated with lower physical (p<0.001), psychological (p<0.001) and social relations (p=0.002) quality of life scores.

Conclusion: Targeted interventions for caregivers of older patients, children acting as caregivers and those taking care of patients with prolonged disease duration are likely to reduce burden and improve their quality of life.