Role of global stress in the health-related quality of life of caregivers: evidence from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin

Abstract

Purpose Informal caregivers play a critical role in the care of individuals who are aging or have disabilities, and are at increased risk for poor health outcomes. This study sought to determine if and to what extent: 1) global stress and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) differed between caregivers and non-caregivers; 2) global stress mediated the relationship between caregiving status and HRQoL; and 3) caregiver strain (i.e., stress attributable to caregiving) was associated with worse HRQoL after accounting for global stress. Methods Cross-sectional data were from the 2008–2010 Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW), a representative sample of adults aged 21–74 years. Participants (n=1,364) completed questionnaires about caregiving status, socio-demographics, global stress, and HRQoL. Staged generalized additive models assessed the impact of caregiving on HRQoL and the role of caregiver strain and global stress in this relationship. Results 17.2% of the sample reported caregiving in the last 12 months. Caregivers reported worse mental HRQoL than non-caregivers (Beta: −1.88, p=0.02); global stress mediated this relationship (p<0.01). Caregivers with the highest levels of strain reported worse mental and physical HRQoL (Beta: −7.12, p<0.01) and caregivers with the lowest levels of strain reported better mental HRQoL (Beta: 2.06, p=0.01) than non-caregivers; these associations were attenuated by global stress (p<0.01). Conclusion Global stress, rather than caregiving per se, contributes to poor HRQoL among caregivers, above and beyond the effect of caregiving strain. Screening, monitoring, and reducing stress in multiple life domains presents an opportunity to improve HRQoL outcomes for caregivers.

Minor psychiatric disorders and their associations in family caregivers of people with mental disorders

“…As in other study 20 , lower quality of life evaluation was associate to emotional illness. A higher prevalence of minor psychiatric disorders was observed in individuals who worse evaluated their quality of life.…”

Fatores associados a uma pior avaliação da qualidade de vida entre familiares cuidadores de usuários de Centros de Atenção Psicossocial

“…Diante das mudanças ocorridas nos processos de cuidado a partir da reforma psiquiátrica, na qual os familiares foram incluídos no processo terapêutico como cuidadores, considerar as repercussões na qualidade de vida dos familiares que cuidam de indivíduos convivendo com transtorno mental mostra-se necessário, visto que estudos, como os de Litzelman et al 5 e de Nguyen et al 6 , indicam que cuidadores primários de indivíduos com doenças crônicas apresentam pior avaliação da qualidade de vida em relação à população geral.…”

“…Destaca-se ainda a realização de mudanças importantes e significativas em seus modos de vida e rotina, sendo necessário um processo de adaptação constante que repercute diretamente em seus estilos de vida 3,4 . Nesse contexto, alguns estudos 5,6 têm apontado implicações na qualidade de vida dos familiares, definida pela Organização Mundial de Saúde como a percepção do indivíduo sobre a sua posição na vida, no contexto da cultura e dos sistemas de valores nos quais ele vive, e em relação a seus objetivos, expectativas, padrões e preocupações 7 . Contudo, em revisão de literatura, pode-se evidenciar que as investigações nessa área ainda são escassas no contexto brasileiro.…”

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment for use in Brazil with informal caregivers of the elderly

“…This can lead to burden, a complex and multidimensional phenomenon that usually occurs when the caregiving experience and the growing demands of the elderly care require the caregiver to go beyond their ability (1) , causing them emotional, social and physical damage (1)(2) . Studies with elderly caregivers indicate psychological distress, anxiety (2) depression (3) , stress (4) as well as physical problems and poorer quality of life related to health when compared to non-caregivers (4) . It is known that the support to family caregivers of elderly consists of new challenges for the Brazilian health system, given the rise in the number of elderly in the population (5) .…”