Investigating the Effects of Communication Problems on Caregiver Burden

Abstract

The study findings not only lend further support to the existing literature that has documented problem behaviors as strong predictors of burden but also emphasize the importance of communication problems in the caregiving process.

Mental health issues associated with foot complications of diabetes mellitus

“…Previous work demonstrated that caregivers of diabetic patients may experience heightened stress [25] and caregiver burden [20,21], further increased with the amount of caregiver time with the patient [20,22]. Nevertheless, the present results showed no significant difference between caregivers and the general population in SF-36 Physical and Mental Component Summary scores (Table 4) [33,38,39].…”

“…Caregivers of patients with diabetic foot problems had overall health-related quality of life (SF-36 Physical and Mental Component Summary scores) similar to that of the general population (general population scores, 50 [38,39]) (Table 4). However, caregivers scored, on average, higher than the general population in seven of the eight SF-36 subscales (Table 4).…”

“…The 14 inventory questions assessed the level of change in a caregiver's life and relationship to the patient, and the reply to each question was rated using a Linkert Scale (minimum, 0; maximum, 5). The reply to all 14 questions were added together to give the total MCBA score (total range ofMCBA: minimum, 14; maximum, 70) [38][39][40][41].…”

Communication and burden in dementia care

“…Effective communication can be used as a mediator to minimize problem behaviours. Savundranayagam et al [26] demonstrated significant correlations among communication problems and three types of caregiver burden (i.e., objective, demand and stress) suggesting that ineffective communication was related to problem behaviours and increased burden.…”

“…[37] The three dimensions of burden are linked via communication and problem behaviours. Savundranayagam et al [26] showed that difficulties with communication deficits simultaneously impact problem behaviours on the different dimensions of burden. There were links among dementia, declining communication skills and three different types of caregiver burden (demand, stress and objective burden).…”