Stressors from Caregiving for Cardiovascular Diseases: Insights from a Community-based Cross-sectional Study in New Delhi

Abstract

Background: Providing care for chronic conditions at home imposes various responsibilities on caregivers, affecting financial, physical, emotional, and social domains. Over time, these responsibilities can accumulate and become significant stressors. Aims & Objectives: The study aims to assess the magnitude, factors and reasons of stressors faced by caregivers of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Material and Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Delhi. A sample of 384 households was obtained through systematic random sampling. The sampling unit was the household, and the study units were the primary caregivers of individuals with cardiovascular diseases. Results: Among 384 caregivers, 223 (58%) were female, and 50.3% were spouses of the patients. The magnitude of stressors ranged from 79.4% to 90.4%. The main stressors identified were economic burden (70.8%), knowledge about the medical condition (67.7%), and changed patient behavior (65.6%). Significant associations were found between stressors and certain socio-demographic factors (such as occupation and relationship to the patient) as well as diseaserelated factors (such as duration of caregiving, regularity of treatment, patient condition, ADL impairment, and multimorbidity of CVD). Conclusion: These results highlight the dyadic relationship between patients and caregivers, emphasizing that caregivers are a high-risk group that also requires attention and support.