Caregiving Burden of Caregivers of Hemodialysis Patients and Related Factors

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the caregiving burden of caregivers of patients receiving Hemodialysis (HD) treatment. Methods: The research was conducted with 107 caregivers of patients receiving HD treatment at State Hospital and Private Dialysis Center. The entire population was intended to be reached by avoiding the use of samples. The universe has been explored to an extent of 89%. Between 1 June and 1 July 2022, the researchers visited HD centers and conducted in-person interviews to gather the data. The demographic data of both patients and caregivers were collected using a 16-item “Descriptive Information Form” and the “Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS)”. Results: The mean caregiving burden score of the participants was 47.53 ±13.87. Among the patients, 39.3% were between the ages of 41-60 and 40.2% were between the ages of 61-80. 85.7% of caregivers were 60 years old or younger. 75.7% of caregivers were women. There was a significant relationship between patient education level and caregiver burden. Caregivers with university degrees had a lower caregiving burden. The degree of caregiver burden was found to vary greatly depending on the caregiver’s age, marital status, occupation, and closeness to the patient. The caregiver burden was found to be favorably influenced by age and relationship with patient in the regression analysis of the caregivers’ demographic data. Conclusion: It was determined that the caregivers had a moderate level of caregiving burden.