General health, caregiver strain and perceived social support among family caregivers of patients with chronic illnesses

Pages: 1344-1348
Shoma Chakrawarty and Dhanalakshmi. D (Department of Psychology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry)

As chronic and lifestyle illnesses rise sharply, the need to cope with caregiving demands is experienced acutely by an unprecedented number of family caregivers. This study aimed to ascertain the relationship between general health, caregiver strain and perceived social support in the context of informal caregiving. A sample of 45 long-term family caregivers was selected through the purposive sampling technique and caregiver strain, general health and social support were measured. Caregiver strain was measured using the Modified Caregiver Strain Index (Sullivan, 2003), while general health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg & Hillier, 1978). The level of perceived social support among the participants was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988). The correlation analysis revealed a positive association between caregiver strain and general health and an inverse association between caregiver strain and social support, while the ‘t’ tests revealed that a higher level of education and an employed status were associated with better health outcomes. ANOVA showed a significant difference in the levels of caregiver strain based on the type of illness. In this study, education, employment and social support were found to help caregivers fulfill their demands with fewer adverse effects. The findings highlight the role of evaluating the health and psychological well-being of caregivers and administering necessary interventions to minimize their health risks.