How stressful is caregiving? A question worth asking

Abstract

Introduction: Caring for chronically ill patients is often an emotionally demanding task. Apart from physical, social, and economic burdens, inadequate information, preparation, and support for caregivers lead to significant distress, which is often underestimated. Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and evaluate the factors contributing to stress in caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients and analyze the effects of such stress on the caregivers. Methods: Caregivers of 88 terminally ill patients admitted to our hospice facility between October 2019 and February 2020 were evaluated for stress using the Caregiver Strain Index (CSI) tool. Contributing factors and consequences of caregiver stress were analyzed using multivariate analysis. Results: A CSI score of ≥7 was present in 77.8% of caregivers, reflecting significant stress levels. Age more than 50, female sex, education status, financial constraints, physical strain, and emotional adjustments contributed significantly to overall caregiver stress, in multivariate analysis (P <0.05). Conclusion: Caregiver stress is a significant problem, and the absence of support systems in developing countries further compounds their suffering. Methodical evaluation of stress and suitable coping strategies is the need of the hour.