Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: The study was planned to investigate the relationship between care burdens and quality of life of the relatives of patients hospitalized in internal and surgical clinics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a descriptive and relation-seeking manner study conducted with 300 relatives of patients hospitalized in internal and surgical clinics in a state hospital in Manisa between the dates of 14 January and 6 April of 2019. Data were collected by using Relatives of Patients Identification Form, Patient Identification Form, Cheltenham’s Patient Classification Scale, SF-36 Quality of Life Scale and Caregiver Burden Scale. The data were evaluated by using descriptive statistical methods such as number, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation and Kruskal Wallis test, Spearman Correlation Analysis in the version 15.0 of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) program. RESULTS: It was determined that the age average of the relatives was 46.87±15.22, 55.3% of them were 46 years old and upper, 74.7% of them were female, 78.7% of them were married. It was found that the total score of caregiver burden scale of the relatives was 15.82 ± 12.86. When the SF-36 quality of life scales mean score distribution is examined; 62.44±24.89 points for physical health subscale, 56.95±22.42 points for mental health subscale, and 59.69±22.62 points for general quality of life subscale. The study found that there was a negative and weak relationship between the caregiver burden and physical health status, mental health status and general quality of life (respectively, rs: -0,327; rs: -0,264; (rs: -0,315). CONCLUSIONS: It was determined that there is a negative direction, weak relationship between the care-giver burden and life quality, and the physical and mental health state of the relatives of patients; in the case of an increasing of the care-giver burden, there was a decreasing of the general life quality and of sub-sized.

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