School of Nursing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
School of Nursing, Tung Wah College, 31Wylie Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
J Ren Care. 2020 Dec;46(4):222-232. doi: 10.1111/jorc.12322. Epub 2020 Feb 20.
Most elderly people undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment have a high incidence of frailty, cognitive impairment and emotional disturbance leading to a significant impact on families. The burden experienced by the family caregivers could affect their physical and emotion health. The objective of this study was to examine the level of burden on family caregivers of elderly adults receiving PD and to identify any contributing factors.
This was a cross-sectional study employing convenience sampling. Patient-caregiver dyads were recruited from the outpatient clinic of a university hospital in China in 2019. Caregivers provided information on their perceived burden and health-related quality of life. The elderly patients reported their functional dependence and depressive symptoms in the same interview. Linear regression analyses were used to determine the factors contributing to caregivers' burden.
Sixty patient-caregiver dyads were recruited. The patients had a mean age of 70.7 ± 7.4 years. The caregivers reported moderate levels of burden having ZBI score of 30.5 ± 15.9. Multivariate analyses showed that being female, perceiving one's financial status as insufficient, a low level of social support for the caregiver, depressive symptoms in the patients and disability in carrying out the instrumental activities of daily life were statistically significant predictors of caregiver burden (adjusted R = 0.46, p < 0.001).
Elderly adults receiving PD who experience physical dependence and depressive symptoms are a burden for caregivers. In response to this challenge, interventions designed with the goal of supporting the emotional and mental wellbeing of caregivers are warranted.
大多数接受腹膜透析（PD）治疗的老年患者身体虚弱、认知障碍和情绪紊乱的发生率较高，这对家庭造成了重大影响。家庭照顾者所承受的负担可能会影响他们的身心健康。本研究旨在调查接受 PD 的老年患者家庭照顾者的负担水平，并确定其影响因素。
这是一项横断面研究，采用便利抽样法。2019 年，从中国一所大学医院的门诊招募了患者-照顾者二人组。照顾者提供了他们对负担的感知和与健康相关的生活质量的信息。在同一次访谈中，老年患者报告了他们的功能依赖和抑郁症状。线性回归分析用于确定导致照顾者负担的因素。
共招募了 60 对患者-照顾者二人组。患者的平均年龄为 70.7±7.4 岁。照顾者报告了中度负担，ZBI 评分为 30.5±15.9。多变量分析表明，照顾者为女性、认为自己的经济状况不足、照顾者的社会支持水平低、患者的抑郁症状以及日常生活中工具性活动的残疾是照顾者负担的统计学显著预测因素（调整后的 R²=0.46，p<0.001）。
接受 PD 治疗且身体依赖和抑郁症状的老年患者对照顾者来说是一种负担。针对这一挑战，有必要制定旨在支持照顾者情绪和心理健康的干预措施。
