Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Berlin, and Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Sciences, Virchowweg 22, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
Center for Quality of Care (ZQP), Reinhardstraße 45, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Apr 16;21(1):353. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-06359-7.
While the relation between care involvement of informal caregivers and caregiver burden is well-known, the additional psychosocial burden related to care involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic has not yet been investigated.
A total of 1000 informal caregivers, recruited offline, participated in a cross-sectional online survey from April 21 to May 2, 2020. Questionnaires were used to assess COVID-19-specific changes in the care situation, negative feelings in the care situation, problems with implementation of COVID-19 measures, concerns/excessive demands, loss of support, change in informal caregivers' own involvement in care and problems with provision, comprehension & practicability of COVID-19 information, and to relate these issues to five indicators of care involvement (i.e., being the main caregiver, high expenditure of time, high level of care, dementia, no professional help). Binomial and multiple regression analyses were applied.
Across indicators of care involvement, 25.5-39.7% reported that the care situation rather or greatly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for those caring for someone with dementia or those usually relying on professional help. In a multiple regression model, the mean number of involvement indicators met was associated with age (β = .18; CI .10-.25), excessive demands (β = .10, CI .00-.19), problems with implementation of COVID-19 measures (β = .11, CI .04-.19), an increase in caregiving by the informal caregivers themselves (β = .14, CI .03-.24) as well as with no change in the amount of caregiving (β = .18, CI .07-.29) and loss of support (β = -.08, CI -.16-.00). No significant associations with the mean number of involvement indicators met were found for gender, educational level, change in the care situation, negative feelings, and provision, comprehension & practicability of COVID-19 information.
Those caregivers who perceived extensive care burden were those who suffered most during the pandemic, calling for structural support by the healthcare system now and in the future.
This article does not report the results of a health care intervention on human participants.
尽管人们已经了解到非正式照护者的照护参与与照护者负担之间的关系，但在 COVID-19 大流行期间，与照护参与相关的额外心理社会负担尚未得到调查。
共有 1000 名非正式照护者在线下招募，于 2020 年 4 月 21 日至 5 月 2 日参加了一项横断面在线调查。使用问卷评估 COVID-19 特异性的照护情况变化、照护情境中的负面感受、实施 COVID-19 措施中存在的问题、顾虑/过度要求、支持丧失、非正式照护者自身照护参与的变化以及提供、理解和实施 COVID-19 信息的可行性方面存在的问题，并将这些问题与五个照护参与指标（即作为主要照护者、大量时间支出、高照护水平、痴呆症、无专业帮助）联系起来。应用二项和多项回归分析。
在所有照护参与指标中，有 25.5%-39.7%的人报告说，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，照护情况相当或大大恶化，尤其是那些照顾痴呆症患者或通常依赖专业帮助的人。在多项回归模型中，所满足的照护参与指标的平均值与年龄（β=0.18；CI 0.10-0.25）、过度要求（β=0.10，CI 0.00-0.19）、实施 COVID-19 措施存在问题（β=0.11，CI 0.04-0.19）、非正式照护者自身照护负担增加（β=0.14，CI 0.03-0.24）以及照护负担没有变化（β=0.18，CI 0.07-0.29）和支持丧失（β=-0.08，CI -0.16-0.00）有关。性别、教育水平、照护情况变化、负面感受以及 COVID-19 信息的提供、理解和实施与所满足的照护参与指标平均值之间没有显著关联。
那些感知到广泛照护负担的照护者是在大流行期间最受苦的人，呼吁医疗保健系统现在和将来提供结构性支持。
本文未报告针对人类参与者的医疗干预结果。
