Wiegelmann Henrik, Hess Moritz, Domhoff Dominik, Heinze Franziska, Schmidt Annika, Seibert Kathrin, Stolle Claudia, Preuß Benedikt, Rothgang Heinz, Wolf-Ostermann Karin
Institut für Public Health und Pflegeforschung, Abteilung Pflegewissenschaftliche Versorgungsforschung, Universität Bremen, Grazer Straße 4, 28359, Bremen, Deutschland.
Hochschule Niederrhein, Niederrhein, Deutschland.
Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz. 2023 Mar;66(3):265-274. doi: 10.1007/s00103-023-03659-7. Epub 2023 Feb 7.
The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have posed major challenges to different groups. One of these are informal caregivers. This study investigates the changes the pandemic has caused for informal caregivers and the extent to which quality of life and burden of care have changed for specific subgroups.
Data for this cross-sectional study was gathered in the summer of 2020 in a convenient sample of informal caregivers (< 67 years of age, N = 1143). In addition to sociodemographic data, information on the care situation, compatibility of care and work, as well as stress and quality of life was collected in an online survey. The analysis of care situations and compatibility of care and work is done descriptively. Logistic regression models are used for a subgroup analysis of quality of life and care burden.
The care situation has changed for 54.7% of participants and has become more time consuming. For 70.8% of respondents, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more difficult to balance care-giving and work. However, most respondents were satisfied with their employers' pandemic management (65.9%). A sharp decline in the quality of life and an increase in the burden of care for informal caregivers was ascertained. Both developments are stronger for young and female caregivers and for those caring for people with a greater need of support.
The results indicate that living situations worsened for a substantial proportion of informal caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers should recognize additional challenges that informal caregivers have faced since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they vary by subgroups. It is important to include home-based informal care as well as other care settings in future pandemic concepts.
新冠疫情的后果给不同群体带来了重大挑战。其中之一就是非正式护理人员。本研究调查了疫情给非正式护理人员带来的变化，以及特定亚组的生活质量和护理负担的变化程度。
本横断面研究的数据于2020年夏季收集，来自一个方便样本的非正式护理人员（年龄<67岁，N = 1143）。除社会人口统计学数据外，还通过在线调查收集了有关护理情况、护理与工作的兼容性以及压力和生活质量的信息。对护理情况以及护理与工作的兼容性进行描述性分析。使用逻辑回归模型对生活质量和护理负担进行亚组分析。
54.7%的参与者护理情况发生了变化，且耗时增加。70.8%的受访者表示，新冠疫情使平衡护理和工作变得更加困难。然而，大多数受访者对雇主的疫情管理感到满意（65.9%）。确定非正式护理人员的生活质量急剧下降，护理负担增加。这两种情况在年轻和女性护理人员以及照顾更需要支持的人的护理人员中更为明显。
结果表明，在新冠疫情期间，相当一部分非正式护理人员的生活状况恶化。政策制定者应认识到自新冠疫情爆发以来非正式护理人员面临的额外挑战，以及这些挑战在不同亚组中的差异。在未来的疫情防控概念中纳入居家非正式护理以及其他护理环境非常重要。
