Caring ability and overload level in informal caregivers of dependent people
Abstract
Purpose: To know the relationship between caring ability and overload level in informal caregivers of dependent people who belong to the home care Support Program for bedridden or severely disabled people of all ages from Magallanes Region, Chile.Materials and method: Descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study with a quantitative approach whose sample of 151 caregivers was not probalistic, by convenience. The caring ability with its dimensions: knowledge, patience, and courage were measured with the Caring Ability Inventory (CAI). The independent variables were measured with the Zarit Overload Scale and the demographic data and derivatives of the care giving activity, were collected using a survey.
Results: a significant negative relationship between the total caring ability and the caregivers’ burden was found. So, those with less caring ability will experience a more intense overload level.
Conclusions: Informal caregivers have caring ability, a high level of knowledge and they are patient with care work. This is related to the absence of overload. Courage is found mainly in an average level having a positive relationship with the overload.
Downloads
The works published in this magazine are subject to the following terms:
1. The Publications Service of the University of Murcia (the publisher) preserves the copyright of the published works, and encourages and allows the reuse of the works under the license for use stated in point 2.
© Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, 2011 (© Publications Service, University of Murcia, 2011)
2. The works are published in the electronic edition of the journal under Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 3.0 España(texto legal) “ a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Spain license (legal text)”. They can be copied, used, broadcasted, transmitted and publicly displayed, provided that: i) the authorship and original source of their publication (journal, publisher and URL) are cited; (ii) are not used for commercial purposes; iii) the existence and specifications of this license is mentioned.
3. Conditions of self-archiving. Authors are allowed and encouraged to electronically disseminate the pre-print (pre-reviewed ) and / or post-print (reviewed and accepted for publication) versions of their works prior to publication, as it ensures a wider circulation and dissemination which may lead to a possible increase in its mention and a higher scope among the academic community. RoMEO color: green.
