The Burden on Caregivers of Patients with Neurological Disorders and Related Factors

Background: The burden of care on caregivers of patients with neurological disorders leads to a reduction in their quality of life, quality of care, and thus reduction in the quality of life of the patient. Identifying the determinants of burden with the aim of improving the quality of caregiver interventions is helpful. The aim of this study was to determine the burden on caregivers of patients with neurological disorders and related factors. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 202 caregivers of patients with neurological disorders of Golestan Province, Iran, that were under care due to neurological damage were selected via convenience method. The instruments were a demographic checklist, Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney test, and Pearson and Spearman correlation tests by SPSS software. Findings: Eighty-eight percent of caregivers were under the moderate and severe burden of care. It was observed that the mean burden of caregivers of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) was significantly lower than the mean burden of caregivers of other patients (P = 0.003). The results of the present study also showed that caregivers of patients with very little power experienced significantly more caregiving burden than caregivers of patients with very high power (P = 0.008). Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, due to the high level of burden of care, support of patients' families is effective in reducing this burden. In an effort to minimize these problems and reduce the burden of care, it is appropriate to develop a proper referral system, formal preparation for care, and a family care training program prior to discharge from the hospital