Abstract
NIH Public Access Author Manuscript Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 September 27. NIH-PA Author Manuscript Published in final edited form as: Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2010 December ; 9(4): 254–262. doi:10.1016/j.ejcnurse.2010.03.001. Do partners of patients with chronic heart failure experience caregiver burden? Susanna Agren a,b,c,* , Lorraine Evangelista d , and Anna Stromberg a,e a Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Division of Nursing Science, Linkoping University, Sweden b Department c Swedish d School of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Linkoping University Hospital, Sweden Institute for Health Sciences, Sweden of Nursing University of California Los Angeles, USA e Department of Cardiology Linkoping University Hospital, Sweden NIH-PA Author Manuscript Abstract Aims—To describe the levels and identify independent predictors of caregiver burden in partners of patients with heart failure. Background—Care and support from a partner are important for the well-being of patients with heart failure and may potentially delay disease progression. However, caregiving may be associated with burden and stress and it is therefore important to understand which factors that influence caregiver burden. Theoretical models of caregiving describe the concept of burden as an outcome variable, including decreased well-being and health. Methods—Data for this descriptive cross-sectional study were collected between January 2005 and September 2008. The dependent variable consisted of the Caregiver Burden Scale total score index. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, health-related quality of life, symptoms of depression, perceived control, and knowledge on heart failure were included in a regression analysis to determine independent predictors of caregiver burden. NIH-PA Author Manuscript Results—The 135 partners had a mean-age of 69 years and 75% were females. Caregiver burden was perceived as medium in 30% of the partners. The patients’ Physical Component Score of SF-36 (p<0.001), partners’ Mental Component Score of SF-36 (p<0.001) and perceived control (p<0.01) accounted for 39% of the variance in caregiver burden. Conclusion—Caregiver burden was lower when the mental health of the partner and the physical health of the patient were better and the partner experienced higher control over the heart disease. A partner-centered approach to educate and support partners of patients with heart failure is essential to improve the life situation for patient–partner dyads. Keywords Caregiver burden; Depression; Health-related quality of life; Heart failure; Partner; Nursing © 2010 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Corresponding author. Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Division of Nursing Science, Linkoping University, S-581 85 Linkoping, Sweden. Tel.: +46 13 227759. susanna.agren@liu.se . levangel@ucla.edu (L. Evangelista), anna.stromberg@liu.se (A. Stromberg).
Highlights
Patients with chronic Heart Failure (HF) constitute of a large group within the health care
A typical partner was female living with a retired patient with HF in NYHA class III
The mean Charlson Co-morbidity Index (CCI) for patients of 2.7 (SD 1.9, range 1–11) was higher compared to their partners 0.7 (SD 1.2, range 0–8) (p = 0.008) which supports previously reported research that purports that patients with chronic HF suffer from several co-morbidities [1]
Summary
Patients with chronic Heart Failure (HF) constitute of a large group within the health care. The condition is a leading cause of hospitalisation for elderly patients at high health care costs. Prognosis of HF is poor and half of the patients die within 4 years [1]. If a patient with a chronic disease has a partner living in the same household in a marriage-like relationship it is most often that this partner provides most of the caregiving. The extent of caregiving by partners of patients with chronic illness such as HF has increased [3]. The main focus in health care is still on the patients and their needs, but the awareness of partners’ and families’ role and situation is increasing [3]
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