Caregiver Burden, Quality of Life, and Coping Strategies Among Caregivers of Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Cross-Sectional Study
Narinder P Singh, Shaurya Kaul, Dinesh Khullar, Anish K Gupta, Sourabh Sharma, Taposh SarkarBackground
Caregivers of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) often experience considerable physical, emotional, psychological, social, and financial burden. This study assessed the prevalence of caregiver burden, coping strategies, and quality of life (QoL) among caregivers of MHD patients.
Materials and Methods
A multicentric cross-sectional study was conducted at two tertiary care centers over three years and included 310 caregivers of patients receiving MHD. Caregiver burden, QoL, and coping strategies were evaluated using the Novak and Guest Caregiver Burden Scale, WHOQoL-BREF, and COPE Inventory, respectively. Associations between demographic variables and study outcomes were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods.
Results
The mean age of caregivers was 39.69±12.68 years, and 62.9% were male. Moderate-to-severe caregiver burden was observed in 63.5% of participants. Higher caregiver burden was independently associated with greater use of planning coping strategies (β=0.57, p =0.028). Lower burden was associated with better psychological QoL (β=−0.21, p <0.001), greater instrumental/social support (β=−0.64, p =0.003), employment (β=−13.00, p <0.001), and retirement status (β=−9.27, p =0.022). Single caregivers reported poorer physical (β=−5.10, p =0.009) and psychological QoL (β=−5.17, p =0.028), whereas unemployed caregivers demonstrated better physical QoL (β=5.11, p =0.002). Male caregivers had lower religious coping (β=−0.82, p =0.008) and emotional social support scores (β =−1.00, p =0.002) than females. Retired caregivers showed higher planning coping scores, while illiterate caregivers had lower planning scores.
Conclusion
Nearly two-thirds of caregivers of MHD patients experienced moderate-to-severe burden. Psychological well-being, social support, employment status, and coping strategies influenced caregiver burden.