Sansoni Julita, Vellone Ercole, Piras Giovanni
Advanced Nursing School, Department of Public Health, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Int J Nurs Pract. 2004 Apr;10(2):93-100. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-172X.2003.00461.x.
Family caregiving for those who suffer from Alzheimer's disease is an important but understudied area in Italian nursing. Population ageing and the existing burden of care for family caregivers indicate that there will be enormous pressure on families in the future to provide adequate and culturally appropriate care. This study attempted to redress this situation by examining anxiety and depression among 34 female Italian Alzheimer's caregivers over a total of 816 caregiving days. A descriptive, repeated measures design was used, using three instruments to survey caregiving: a General Questionnaire about Caregiving, the Spielberg State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Findings indicated that caregivers suffered high levels of anxiety (76%) and depression (42%). Statistical analyses showed that the anxiety and depression scores were positively correlated with hours of care, physical and psychological illness scores, and negatively correlated with level of education and time for leisure activities. However, no significant correlations were found with the Mini Mental State Examination scores, demonstrating that the burden of care is large, irrespective of the extent of mental impairment. Implications of the findings suggest that support and assistance given to Italian caregivers might be inadequate, particularly with respect to respite services and educational support.
在意大利护理领域，为阿尔茨海默病患者提供家庭护理是一个重要但研究不足的领域。人口老龄化以及家庭护理人员现有的护理负担表明，未来家庭在提供充分且符合文化背景的护理方面将面临巨大压力。本研究试图通过调查34名意大利女性阿尔茨海默病护理人员在总计816个护理日中的焦虑和抑郁情况来改善这种状况。采用了描述性重复测量设计，使用三种工具对护理情况进行调查：一份关于护理的一般问卷、斯皮尔伯格状态-特质焦虑量表和老年抑郁量表。研究结果表明，护理人员中焦虑水平高的占76%，抑郁水平高的占42%。统计分析显示，焦虑和抑郁得分与护理时长、身体和心理疾病得分呈正相关，与教育水平和休闲活动时间呈负相关。然而，与简易精神状态检查表得分未发现显著相关性，这表明无论精神损害程度如何，护理负担都很大。研究结果的意义表明，给予意大利护理人员的支持和援助可能不足，特别是在喘息服务和教育支持方面。
