University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, 336 Victoria Bldg, 3500 Victoria St, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
Am J Crit Care. 2013 Jan;22(1):41-5. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2013830.
Studies of family caregivers of the critically ill have mainly focused on the psychological impact of the patients' stay in the intensive care unit and related stress. Despite known associations between stress and physical health, limited attention has been paid to the need to promote and maintain physical health in these caregivers.
To explore how family caregivers' health risk behaviors are associated with patients' preexisting care needs and the caregivers' depressive symptoms and burden.
During the intensive-care-unit stay of critically ill patients (who required mechanical ventilation for ≥4 days), 50 family caregivers were surveyed to determine the caregivers' depressive symptoms, burden, and health risk behaviors. Data were also collected on patients' care needs before admission to the intensive care unit.
One or more health risk behaviors were reported by 94% of family caregivers. More than 90% of caregivers reported depressive symptoms above the score indicating risk for clinical depression. A high level of burden was reported by 36% of caregivers. More health risk behaviors were associated with higher scores of depressive symptoms and burden (P < .001 for both). Caregivers' responses did not differ according to patients' preexisting care needs.
Health risk behaviors of family caregivers are associated with greater perceptions of burden and/or depressive symptoms but not with patients' care needs before admission to the intensive care unit.
对危重症患者家属的研究主要集中在患者在重症监护病房停留期间的心理影响和相关压力上。尽管已知压力与身体健康之间存在关联，但对这些照顾者促进和保持身体健康的需求关注有限。
探讨家庭照顾者的健康风险行为如何与患者预先存在的护理需求以及照顾者的抑郁症状和负担相关。
在入住重症监护病房的危重症患者（需要机械通气≥4 天）期间，对 50 名家庭照顾者进行调查，以确定照顾者的抑郁症状、负担和健康风险行为。还收集了患者入住重症监护病房前的护理需求数据。
94%的家庭照顾者报告了一种或多种健康风险行为。超过 90%的照顾者报告了抑郁症状评分高于表示有临床抑郁风险的分数。36%的照顾者报告了高负担。更多的健康风险行为与更高的抑郁症状和负担评分相关（两者均 P <.001）。照顾者的反应与患者入住重症监护病房前的预先存在的护理需求无关。
家庭照顾者的健康风险行为与更大的负担和/或抑郁症状感知相关，但与患者入住重症监护病房前的护理需求无关。
