Troy Carol, Tjin Anna, Goodwin Anna, Leroi Iracema, O'Sullivan Roger, Chen Yaohua
International Business Administration, International College, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan R.O.C.
Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK.
Glob Health Action. 2025 Dec;18(1):2504227. doi: 10.1080/16549716.2025.2504227. Epub 2025 Jun 3.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to government-imposed mobility restrictions, social distancing, and lockdowns, altering the caregiving environment worldwide. In South Asia, it is unknown what aspects of these changes posed significant emotional costs to informal carers, or how such costs can be mitigated in future pandemics.
To identify environmental change aspects (dimensions) that posed distinct emotional costs for South Asian carers. To quantify the costs and classify them as persistent, transient, hidden, or insignificant. To propose ways of mitigating carer distress during future pandemics.
The data came from the Coping with Loneliness, Isolation, and COVID-19 Caregiver survey. Carers () in Bangladesh (), India (), and Pakistan () self-reported their experiences before/during the pandemic. The dimensions were extracted from 11 change indicators. A dimension's emotional costs were its effects on (1) the change in burden frequency relative to pre-pandemic conditions and (2) the during-pandemic burden frequency.
Five factors emerged: social confinement, reduced/missing information on the recipient, loss of connection, restricted visitation rights, and protective clothing. Social confinement (loss of connection) increased both changes in burden frequency and during-pandemic burden frequency, indicating a persistent emotional cost to carers. Restricted visitation rights affected only pandemic burden frequency, indicating a hidden emotional impact.
Social confinement (loss of connection, restricted visitation rights) was emotionally costly because it forced an increase (decrease) in care intensity relative to pre-pandemic levels. Through enhanced counseling and emotional support services, South Asian public health systems can alleviate carers' private suffering during normal times and future crises.
新冠疫情导致政府实施出行限制、社交 distancing 和封锁措施，改变了全球的护理环境。在南亚，尚不清楚这些变化的哪些方面给非正式护理人员带来了巨大的情感成本，以及如何在未来的疫情中减轻这些成本。
确定给南亚护理人员带来不同情感成本的环境变化方面（维度）。量化这些成本并将其分类为持续性、短暂性、隐性或微不足道的成本。提出在未来疫情期间减轻护理人员痛苦的方法。
数据来自应对孤独、隔离和新冠疫情护理人员调查。孟加拉国、印度和巴基斯坦的护理人员自我报告了他们在疫情之前/期间的经历。这些维度是从 11 个变化指标中提取的。一个维度的情感成本是其对（1）相对于疫情前状况的负担频率变化以及（2）疫情期间负担频率的影响。
出现了五个因素：社会隔离、关于受助者的信息减少/缺失、联系中断、探视权受限和防护服。社会隔离（联系中断）增加了负担频率的变化以及疫情期间的负担频率，表明给护理人员带来了持续性情感成本。探视权受限仅影响疫情期间的负担频率，表明存在隐性情感影响。
社会隔离（联系中断、探视权受限）在情感上成本高昂，因为它迫使护理强度相对于疫情前水平增加（减少）。通过加强咨询和情感支持服务，南亚公共卫生系统可以在正常时期和未来危机期间减轻护理人员的个人痛苦。
