Özet:

The number of studies evaluating caregivers in the elderly psychiatric population is insufficient. This study aims to determine the caregiver burden and related factors in elderly psychiatric patients’ caregivers. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study was carried out on caregivers who applied to Private Adana Hospital psychiatry clinic. The study included 230 caregivers of psychiatric elderly patients (≥60 years). Demographics questionnaire form (for the elderly and caregivers) and the Zarit Burden Interview were used to collect data. Independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe post-hoc test were used for statistical analysis. Caregivers’ burden had a meaningful association with the type of psychiatric disorder in elder patients (p=0.005). Post-hoc test showed caregivers’ burden was higher in caring for schizophrenic patients and then obsessive-compulsive, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders, respectively. The results denoted that caregiving hours per week (p=0.003) and additional psychiatric patients number in the family (p=0.004) had an association with caregiving burden. Results showed that greater caregiving hours/week was associated with a higher caregiving burden. It is seen that caregiving hours, type of the patient’s mental illness and presence of an additional psychiatric patient in a family increases the burden of the caregiver. Caregivers’ high care burden can overshadow the quality of care the psychiatric elderly patients and expose the caregivers’ psychological health to danger.

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