Silva Pollyana T R F, Coura Fernanda M, Costa-Val Adriane P
Escola de Veterinária, Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, UFMG, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte 30123-970, Brazil.
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Minas Gerais Campus Bambuí, IFMG, Faz. Varginha, Rodovia Bambuí/Medeiros, Km 05, Caixa-Postal 05, Zona Rural, Bambuí 38900-000, Brazil.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Jan 16;14(2):276. doi: 10.3390/ani14020276.
Caregiver burden, a response to the challenges faced by those caring for sick loved ones, combines objective caregiving aspects with subjective experiences. This study aimed to describe the caregiver burden in guardians of ailing animals with dermatological and oncological pathologies. Additionally, this study aimed to correlate the degree of caregiver burden with the duration of the animal's treatment, disease stability, family income, owner's age, and the number of people living in the same household responsible for the animal's treatment. Using a cross-sectional approach, questionnaires were administered to guardians at a veterinary hospital. Out of 182 valid responses, 50.55% related to oncological patients and 49.45% to dermatological patients. Notably, 36.9% of oncological and 37.8% of dermatological guardians exhibited a clinically significant burden, with no statistical differences between the groups. Of the respondents, 84.6% were dog guardians, with 34.4% showing a significant burden. Feline guardians (15.4% of respondents) exhibited a higher burden (53.5%) compared to dog guardians ( = 0.02). Disease stability, time since diagnosis, and guardian age significantly influenced the burden, while household composition, income, and treatment duration showed no substantial impact. These findings underscore the psychosocial impact of caring for animals, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the caregiver's perspective.
照顾者负担是对照顾生病亲人所面临挑战的一种反应，它将客观的照顾方面与主观体验结合在一起。本研究旨在描述患有皮肤病和肿瘤病的患病动物监护人的照顾者负担。此外，本研究旨在将照顾者负担程度与动物治疗持续时间、疾病稳定性、家庭收入、主人年龄以及同一家庭中负责动物治疗的人数相关联。采用横断面研究方法，在一家兽医医院向监护人发放问卷。在182份有效回复中，50.55%与肿瘤病患者相关，49.45%与皮肤病患者相关。值得注意的是，36.9%的肿瘤病监护人和37.8%的皮肤病监护人表现出临床上显著的负担，两组之间无统计学差异。在受访者中，84.6%是狗的监护人，其中34.4%表现出显著负担。猫的监护人（占受访者的15.4%）与狗的监护人相比表现出更高的负担（53.5%）（ = 0.02）。疾病稳定性、诊断后的时间以及监护人年龄对负担有显著影响，而家庭构成、收入和治疗持续时间没有实质性影响。这些发现强调了照顾动物的社会心理影响，强调需要全面了解照顾者的观点。
