Caregivers of chronic pain patients: Their loneliness and burden

Abstract

Caring for a chronically-ill family member is often taking its toll in increased burden, changes in daily schedule, and increased loneliness for caregivers. This study was aimed at investigating the manner to which caregivers of chronic-pain patients cope with loneliness and other care-related effects. To this end, 247 caregivers were sampled in two major chronic pain clinics in Israel. They completed the coping with loneliness, the burden assessment scale, caregiving reaction assessment, and activities of daily living questionnaires. Data were submitted to several multiple regressions, which showed that women were more likely than men to adopt the Reflection and acceptance coping style. This pattern was not evident among older caregivers. In addition, the analyses revealed that increased daily activity predicted high levels of distancing and denial, but only among caregivers with one child or none. These findings are discussed within the framework of coping with loneliness and the mediating role of caregiver's characteristics in coping.