Evaluation of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Caregivers of Patients Requiring Home Care After Intensive Care
Caregiver Burden After Intensive Care
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71350/ajaic.14Keywords:
Caregiver burden, Anxiety, Depression, Quality of life, Intensive care, Longterm care, Home care servicesAbstract
Background: Advances in intensive care medicine have improved survival yet increased the number of patients requiring long-term home care after discharge. This shift places substantial physical, emotional, and psychological demands on family caregivers. This study aimed to evaluate caregiver burden, anxiety, depression, and quality of life among individuals providing home care to former intensive care unit (ICU) patients and to identify patient-related and caregiver-related factors associated with these outcomes.
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients discharged from an ICU who had been receiving home care for at least six months and their primary caregivers. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Short Form-36 (SF-36). Statistical analyses involved the Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test with Bonferroni correction, and Spearman’s correlation. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 165 caregivers (median age 45 years; 74.5% female) participated. Median scores were ZBI: 39, HADS-Anxiety (HADS-A): 8, HADS-Depression (HADS-D): 10, SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS): 42, and SF-36, Mental Component Summary (MCS): 44. Higher caregiver burden was strongly associated with lower quality of life and higher anxiety and depression scores (p < 0.001). Caregiving duration showed weak positive correlations with SF-36 PCS and MCS a weak negative correlation with HADS-D. Burden and anxiety levels were significantly higher among employed and low-income caregivers, whereas spousal caregivers demonstrated poorer physical and mental quality-of-life scores. Caregivers of orally fed patients and those managing pressure ulcers reported increased strain. Conversely, caregivers of patients receiving home mechanical ventilation exhibited lower burden scores and better quality-of-life indices.
Conclusion: Caregivers of long-term home-care patients experience substantial psychological stress and reduced quality of life, influenced by socioeconomic status, caregiving demands, and patient clinical characteristics. These findings underscore the need for routine psychosocial screening during discharge planning and for strengthening caregiver education, follow-up, and support programs. Expanding institutional support services may help protect caregiver well-being and sustain the continuity of care from ICU to home.
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