THE CHALLENGES FACING IN-HOME CAREGIVERS: AN ANALYSES OF THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY USING A VALIDATED QUESTIONNAIRE

THE CHALLENGES FACING IN-HOME CAREGIVERS: AN ANALYSES OF THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY USING A VALIDATED QUESTIONNAIRE ABSTRACT Objective : Even though there are reports indicating positive aspects of home-based caregiving of patients who are in need, there are also noteworthy concerns that this may lead to a significant load on such caregivers who are family members. The aim of our study is to investigate the attitudes of these caregivers against the challenges of life compared to a control group. Methods: Fifty caregivers who took care of their patients at home and 50 persons who had no in-home care task were compared. A questionnaire, scoring in five separate fields named as Thoughts against the challenges of life (TAC), Perspective on life (PL), Problem solving ability (PSA), Targets and ideals (TI) and Social support (SS), was conducted. It is assumed that persons with higher scores do better against challenges of life. Results: Seventy-six percent of Caregivers Group (CRG) were women and 58% of them were housewives. PL scores of CRG were significantly lower, but the PSA scores of them were significantly higher compared to those of CNG. Univariate analyses revealed that caregiving status, age and gender had no significant impact on any of the scores, but the duration of education had significantly affected the scores of PL. PL scores of subgroups educated 5 years or less were significantly lower in CRG compared to CNG group. Conclusion: Care-giving seems to have a positive impact on PSA scores, but a negative one on PL scores. Education was the variable most widely effecting field scores, both in positive and in negative directions. Key words Home-based patient care, Caregivers, Mental health of caregivers, Attitudes of caregivers Evde Hasta Bakimi Yapan Kisilerin Karsilastigi Zorluklar: Gecerli Bir Olcek Araciligiyla Elde Edilen Verilerin Analizi OZ Amac: Bakima muhtac kisilerin kendi evlerinde bakimiyla ilgili olumlu bildirimler vardir; fakat evde bakimin aile uyesi olan bakicilar uzerinde onemli bir yuk olusturabilecegi konusunda kayda deger endiseler de vardir. Amacimiz, bakima muhtac kisilere evlerinde bakim hizmeti veren hane halkindan kisilerin, hayatin gucluklerine karsi tutumlarini arastirmak ve bu tutumlari bir kontrol gurubuyla karsilastirmaktir. Gerec ve Yontem: Hastalarina evlerinde bakim veren 50 bakici ve bakicilik yapmayan 50 kisi karsilastirilmistir. Calismaya katilan kisilerin hayatin gucluklerine karsi tutumlari, daha once gecerliligi gosterilmis bir anket-olcekle degerlendirildi. Bu anket-olcekteki sorular, gucluklere karsi dusunceler (GKD), hayata bakis (HB), problem cozme (PC), hedef ve idealler (HI) ve sosyal destek (SD) olmak uzere bes ayri alanda skorlar uretmektedir. Skorlarin yuksek olmasi olumlu olarak degerlendirilmektedir. Bulgular: Bakici Gurubunun (BG) %76’si kadin ve %58’i ev hanimlarindan olusuyordu; %54’u bes yil veya daha az egitim almisti. Bakici Gurubunun HB skorlari KG’ye gore anlamli sekilde dusuk, buna karsilik PC skorlari anlamli sekilde daha yuksekti [Mann-Whitney U test, sirasiyla, 2,48±1,0 karsilik 3,0±0,79, p=0,006 ve 4,59±0,45 karsilik 4,28±0,69, p=0,035]. Univariate analiz sonuclari, hastabakicilik durumu, yas ve cinsiyetin, skorlarin hicbiri uzerinde anlamli etkide bulunmadigini gosterdi, fakat egitim suresinin HB  [F(1,95)=8,534, p=0,004] ve SD [F(1,95)=13,673, p=0,001] skorlarini anlamli sekilde etkiledigi goruldu. Bes yil ve daha az egitim alan alt-guruplarda HB skorlari BG’de, KG’ye gore anlamli olarak daha dusuktu [(BG: n=27, ort±se=2,22±0,20; KG:n=21, ort±se= 2,90±0,15, t-testi, p=0,009)]. Sonuc: Hastabakiciligin PC uzerinde olumlu, fakat HB skorlari uzerinde negatif etkileri oldugu goruluyor. Egitimin, alan skorlarini, olumlu veya olumsuz yonde, en cok etkileyen degisken oldugu goruldu . Anahtar kelimeler Evde hasta bakimi, Hastabakicilar, Hastabakicilarin zihinsel sagligi, Hastabakicilarin tutumlari