Barakat Zainab, Sacre Hala, Khatib Sarah, Hajj Aline, Bou Malham Carmela, Haddad Chadia, Akel Marwan, M Zeenny Rony, Abou Abbas Linda, Barakat Marc, Salameh Pascale, Rachidi Samar
Clinical and Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon.
Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):22775. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-05626-5.
Our study aims to describe the extent of caregiver burden and its associated factors among family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults in Lebanon in the context of multiple crises. During May-June 2024, a quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out in Lebanon involving 544 caregivers of older adults. Participants were recruited online via various social media platforms. Measures of the caregiving burden and related concepts were executed using validated scales and reports related to the care recipient's situation. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to investigate factors associated with caregiver burden. The findings showed that most caregivers were females with lower education levels and facing financial difficulties. Among the participants, 28% reported a severe caregiving burden, 19% a moderate burden, and 24% a mild burden. The burden of caregiving was higher when the care recipient was financially dependent on the caregiver, had dementia or chronic musculoskeletal (reduced mobility) conditions, and was not able to socially integrate. The burden was also higher when the caregiver was older, lived in a remote region, was a part-time worker, had financial distress, provided care for a longer period, used maladaptive coping strategies, had no assistance, and received lower social support. This study showed that the financial difficulties of both the caregiver and the care recipient added to the usual burden of caregiving in the Lebanese context. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and support systems to alleviate the burden on family caregivers in Lebanon, especially given the country's rapidly aging population, the difficult multifaceted crisis, and the limited availability of formal care services.
我们的研究旨在描述在多重危机背景下，黎巴嫩社区居住的老年人家庭照料者的照料负担程度及其相关因素。2024年5月至6月期间，在黎巴嫩开展了一项定量横断面研究，涉及544名老年人照料者。参与者通过各种社交媒体平台在线招募。使用经过验证的量表以及与受照料者情况相关的报告来衡量照料负担和相关概念。进行了双变量和多变量分析，以调查与照料者负担相关的因素。研究结果表明，大多数照料者为女性，教育水平较低且面临经济困难。在参与者中，28%报告有严重的照料负担，19%为中度负担，24%为轻度负担。当受照料者在经济上依赖照料者、患有痴呆症或慢性肌肉骨骼疾病（行动不便）且无法融入社会时，照料负担更高。当照料者年龄较大、居住在偏远地区、为兼职工作者、有经济困难、提供照料的时间较长、使用适应不良的应对策略、没有得到帮助且获得的社会支持较低时，负担也更高。这项研究表明，照料者和受照料者的经济困难加重了黎巴嫩背景下通常的照料负担。这些发现凸显了需要有针对性的干预措施和支持系统，以减轻黎巴嫩家庭照料者的负担，特别是考虑到该国人口迅速老龄化、多方面的艰难危机以及正规护理服务的可获得性有限。
