Greek Caregivers Research Articles

Greek Caregivers of Chronically Ill Patients Struggling in Everyday Life.

Caregivers of chronically ill geriatric patients face several problems throughout the disease progression of the patients under their care. This is a prospective crosssectional study conducted from September 2017 to September 2018, including 130 caregivers of geriatric patients from Attica, Greece. This study investigates caregivers' anxiety, perception of changes in their lives, and quality of life. The questionnaires administered were the revised Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (rBCOS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Linear Analogue Scale Assessment (LASA). Influencing factors associated with rBCOS, STAI and LASA were care timespan and energy levels. Only the State Anxiety Scale and the Patient-caregiver Relationship rBCOS questionnaire seemed to be affected by a cancer diagnosis. Our findings revealed that anxiety, low quality of life, and perception of changes in the lives of caregivers are the underlying factors. Significant factors were time spent caring for the patient, the status of their relationship, the diagnosis, especially in life-threatening and life-limiting diseases, and the caregivers' energy levels. These results are important in order to comprehend the lives of caregivers and assess by what means could the healthcare system and society further assist them.

Burden, depression and anxiety effects on family caregivers of patients with chronic kidney disease in Greece: a comparative study between dialysis modalities and kidney transplantation.

Burden of caregivers is a status that was identified as a consequence of daily care. Anxiety and depression are probably related to complex tasks interwined with the care of a family member suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). To examine the experienced burden, anxiety and depression of Greek caregivers of patients with End-Stage CKD on dialysis as well as kidney transplant recipients (TX) in relation to their demographic profile and to compare among the groups. A total of 396 participants (198 couples of patients and caregivers) were recruited. Structured interviews and self-completed questionnaires were obtained from patients undergoing dialysis modalities as well as TX (28 peritoneal dialysis patients, 137 hemodialysis patients, 33 TX) and their caregivers. Zarit Burden Interview, Beck Depression Inventory and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 scales were used as screening tools. The majority of caregivers were females (67.2%), with a median age of 58years. Total burden was indicated as mild to moderate (Mdn = 36 (24-51)). Caregivers of haemodialysis (HD) patients showed the highest burden (Mdn = 40 (26-53)) followed by peritoneal dialysis(PD) (Mdn = 29 (25-51)) and TX group (Mdn = 28 (21-43)) (p = 0.022). Caregivers' depression and anxiety were related to the type of patients' treatment, as well. Caregivers of HD and PD patients reported significantly higher depression (Mdn = 11 (5-18)) and anxiety scores (Mdn = 3 (2-5)) in comparison to TX caregivers (Mdn = 6 (2-13) and Mdn = 2 (2-4)) (p = 0.045 and p = 0.04, respectively). Caregivers of TX patients appeared to have less burden, depression and anxiety levels compared with caregivers of patients on dialysis modalities. Caregivers' burden is significantly associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms, gender, duration of caregiving, educational level, financial status and caregivers' age.

How Caregivers of People With Dementia Search for Dementia-Specific Information on the Internet: Survey Study.

BackgroundDuring the last decade, more research has focused on web-based interventions delivered to support caregivers of people with dementia. However, little information is available in relation to internet use among caregivers in general, especially those caring for people with dementia.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the dementia-related internet use and factors that may be associated with its use among caregivers of people with dementia in Greece.MethodsSecondary data from the Greek Dementia Survey of the Athens Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders were collected from April to June 2017. A total of 580 caregivers of people with dementia participated in the study.ResultsThe majority of the caregivers reported that they had used the internet in the previous 3 months (84.1%, 488/580). Nearly half of the caregivers (47.5%, 276/580) reported that they had received dementia services online. Bivariate analysis showed that a dementia-specific search of information was associated with age, education, kinship, and years of care. Age (odds ratio [OR] 2.362, 95% CI 1.05-5.33) and education (OR 2.228, 95% CI 1.01-4.94) were confirmed as predictors, with younger caregivers and those with higher educational attainment being more likely to search for dementia-specific information. Use of the internet to search for dementia information was only related to hours of care. The internet use by caregivers within the previous 3 months was associated with variables such as age, education, occupation, kinship, years of care, and self-reported impact on physical and social health.ConclusionsCaregivers of people with dementia in Greece, as in the other southern European countries, are essential agents of the national health system. The existing short- and long-term respite care services are limited or nonexistent. Currently, caregivers receive mostly support and education from memory clinics and municipality consultation centers, which are mainly based in central cities in Greece. Despite the dementia awareness movement in Greece, there is still space to integrate the role of technology in the support and education of caregivers. Development of training programs for enhancing electronic health literacy skills as well as web-based services provision could support Greek caregivers in their everyday caring tasks.

Validity and Reliability of the Greek Version of the ZBI in Informal Carers of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Background: The Zarit Burden Interview is one of the most common tools used in the research field measuring burden. The aims of the present study were to translate and validate the Zarit Burden on caregivers of adults with intellectual disabilities in Greece. Methods: One hundred and eighty family caregivers of adults with intellectual disabilities were recruited. All participants completed: the Zarit Burden Interview and the revised 15-item Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale. Reliability was assessed by the internal consistency and test/retest of the instrument. Validity was assessed with construct validity using Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale and known groups validity. Results: Factor analysis resulted in a 4-factor model. Construct validity has shown satisfactory correlations with Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (p<.0005, p<.005 respectively). Conclusions: The Greek-Zarit Burden Interview showed satisfactory psychometric properties in Greek caregivers caring adults with intellectual disabilities.

Investigating burden of informal caregivers in England, Finland and Greece: an analysis with the short form of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC-s)

ABSTRACTObjectives: The burden of informal caregivers might show itself in different ways in different cultures. Understanding these differences is important for developing culture-specific measures aimed at alleviating caregiver burden. Hitherto, no findings regarding such cultural differences between different European countries were available. In this paper, differences between English, Finnish and Greek informal caregivers of people with dementia are investigated.Methods: A secondary analysis was performed with data from 36 English, 42 Finnish and 46 Greek caregivers obtained with the short form of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC-s). The probabilities of endorsing the BSFC-s items were investigated by computing a logit model with items and countries as categorical factors. Statistically significant deviation of data from this model was taken as evidence for country-specific response patterns.Results: The two-factorial logit model explains the responses to the items quite well (McFadden's pseudo-R-square: 0.77). There are, however, also statistically significant deviations (p < 0.05). English caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing impairments in individual well-being; Finnish caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing the conflict between the demands resulting from care and demands resulting from the remaining social life and Greek caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing impairments in physical health.Conclusion: Caregiver burden shows itself differently in English, Finnish and Greek caregivers. Accordingly, measures for alleviating caregiver burden in these three countries should address different aspects of the caregivers’ lives.

Psychometric Properties of the Family Quality of Life Scale in Greek Families with Intellectual Disabilities

In recent years intellectual disability has changed from the individual quality of life to an evaluation of the quality concerning the whole family. The aims of the present study were to examine the psychometric properties of the Greek version of Family Quality of Life Scale (FQoL). A total of 180 caregivers of people with intellectual disabilities participated in the current study. The participants were all informal caregivers of adults with disabilities and comorbidities (other chronic diseases), belonging to the intimate family context (cousins, uncles, neighbours, professional in-home caregivers, neighbours, etc.). The Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale (FQoL) was administered twice, with a 7 day interval to 44 eligible caregivers. Factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution, explaining explaining 71.63 % of the total variance. Cronbach alpha for the three factors were between 0.883 to 0.960. Construct validity showed a high correlation between FQoL factors and APGAR scores. More specifically high correlations were found between “Family interaction and support” (r = 0.855), “Family care” (r = 0.630), “Disability related support” (r = 0.683) and APGAR scores (p < 0.0005 respectively). The test/retest reliability indicated that the scales scores were remarkably consistent between the two occasions. The current results support that the Greek version of FQoL is a measure with satisfactory psychometric properties, and is a valid research tool for Greek caregivers supporting people with intellectual disabilities.

Validation of the revised Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale in Greek caregivers of patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative radiotherapy

Caregiver burden considerably affects the lives of families providing care to people with advanced cancer. The aim of this study was to validate the Greek translation of the revised Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (BCOS) with a sample of informal caregivers of people with advanced cancer receiving outpatient palliative radiotherapy. Following a formal "forward-backward" method to translate the original BCOS into Greek, the scale was administered to 100 consecutive family caregivers. Participants also completed the Greek Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (G-HADS) and five quality-of-life related linear analogue scale assessment (LASA) scales. Validity and reliability analyses were performed. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the total BCOS score was 0.83. Test-retest reliability analysis in a subgroup of caregivers (n = 40) revealed good short-term stability over a 2-week interval. Exploratory factor analysis generated a one-factor structure for the Greek translation, which was further confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis. Construct validity was supported through the scale's high correlations with G-HADS anxiety (-0.524; p < 0.001) and depression (-0.533; p < 0.001) scores, and LASA quality of life scores (0.696; p < 0.001). The BCOS discriminated well between groups of caregivers with different levels of quality of life. A total score of 52.5 offered high sensitivity (91 %) and specificity (86 %) in detecting highly burdened caregivers. The Greek version of the BCOS is a psychometrically sound instrument that can be usefully implemented into clinical practice to identify family caregivers in need for support, and stimulate relevant research in our country.

Impact of Cancer on Primary Caregivers of Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy

The main objective of this study was to assess the consequences of caregiving on primary caregivers of Greek cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. Sixty-five caregivers participated in the study and data were collected through structured interviews. Our results pointed to a lack of association concerning extent of patients' disease, treatment schedule, performance status or awareness of diagnosis. However, female caregivers with low qualifications, partners, and those living with the patient were more likely to report heightened symptoms of anxiety and depression, severe impact of caregiving on their lives, poor health and low quality of life. In addition, it was shown through multivariate analyses that psychological distress was the sole predictor of overall health and global quality of life. In conclusion, Greek caregivers are to a great extent affected by the disease. Caring for significant others is essential to promoting quality of life for the family and the patient.