Abstract
BackgroundCaregiving burden and depression in family caregivers have been investigated, but little is known about how they affect paid caregivers. The aim of this study was to investigate caregiving burden and depression in paid caregivers of hospitalized patients.MethodsA cross-sectional survey study was conducted in a tertiary referral hospital (Chengdu, China) that enrolled 108 paid caregivers who worked in the inpatient department. The Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale were incorporated into a self-developed questionnaire to gather demographic information on the following four aspects: general, work, income, and family.ResultsThe mean total CBI score was 29.7 ± 12.5. The time-dependence burden had the highest score of 15.3 ± 4.0, which was followed by the physical burden score of 6.5 ± 4.6, developmental burden score of 3.7 ± 4.0, social burden score of 3.2 ± 4.0, and emotional burden score of 2.4 ± 3.1. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that a higher CBI was associated with a longer time as a paid caregiver [β=7.041, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):1.935 to 12.974, p = 0.009], lower income satisfaction (β= − 6.573, 95% CI: -11.248 to −3.020, p = 0.001), and higher frequency of meeting with their relatives (β=7.125, 95% CI: 2.019 to 12.456, p = 0.006). The mean CES-D score was 11.9 ± 8.7, and significant depression was found in 28 (25.9%) paid caregivers according to the CES-D score ≥ 16 cut-off. There was a moderate positive correlation between the CBI and CES-D scores (Pearson’s r = 0.452, p < 0.001).ConclusionsA high caregiving burden was commonly observed in paid caregivers of hospitalized patients in China, as was a high prevalence of depression symptoms. Several associated factors were identified that could be areas for future interventions.
Highlights
Caregiving burden and depression in family caregivers have been investigated, but little is known about how they affect paid caregivers
According to published studies in Chinese journals, most paid caregivers are middleaged women who were previously farmers from a rural area or laid-off workers from a city. [9, 10] psychological health and work pressure were investigated in paid caregivers in China, which were related to sleep disturbances, unstable income, and a lack of social respect and support, [11, 12] data are very limited on the caregiving burden in this population, especially by the use of designated inventories
Correlation between depression and caregiving burden Using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) score ≥ 16 cut-off, we found that the prevalence of depression among paid caregivers reached 25.9%; this was higher than that of the general population in China, which was reported to be between 5.9% and 12.4%. [40, 41] other studies showed that more than 50% of family caregivers were at risk of depression according to the same CES-D score cut-off. [42, 43] This difference in the prevalence of depression might be explained by the “nature” of the caregiving work performed by paid caregivers compared to family caregivers
Summary
Caregiving burden and depression in family caregivers have been investigated, but little is known about how they affect paid caregivers. The aim of this study was to investigate caregiving burden and depression in paid caregivers of hospitalized patients. [4,5,6] Caregivers have taken on the majority of basic care, including making the bed, feeding and bathing the patient, cleaning urine and excrement, and helping with expectoration. To provide information for developing practical interventions, a survey study was conducted to identify the prevalence of caregiving burden and depression symptoms as well as their associated factors from four categories, including general, work, income, and family characteristics
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