Goyal-Honavar Abhijit, Singh Gloria, Chhakchhuakk Lalzikpuii, Jothikumar Rakshana M, Thatapudi Apollos John, Vishnupriya A, Middleton Nalam, Marconi Sam, Abraham Vinod
Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Indian J Community Med. 2025 Sep-Oct;50(5):858-863. doi: 10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_18_24. Epub 2025 Feb 21.
Caregiver fatigue is common among caregivers of patients with disabilities and compromises the health of caregivers and the disabled alike. There is no community-based data from India on the burden of caregiver fatigue. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence of caregiver fatigue among family members of patients with disabilities, assessing the association of socio-demographic factors related to caregivers, care recipients, and the nature of disability with caregiver fatigue. We performed a cross-sectional study in Kaniyambadi, Vellore, interviewing 63 disabled people and their caregivers. Demographic details and details of caregiving were recorded. The severity of disability was assessed using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0, and caregiver fatigue was assessed using the American Medical Association Caregiver Self-assessment Questionnaire. Caregivers were predominantly female (76.2%), most frequently parental (41.3%), followed by spousal (30.2%). Moreover, 71.4% of caregivers were not gainfully employed. The most common disability was physical and mobility impairments followed by brain injuries. Caregiver fatigue occurred in 71.4% of caregivers. Characteristics associated with caregiver fatigue were female sex, parental relationship, and >6 h daily spent caregiving. Caregivers of male patients and individuals with >50% disability were more likely to develop caregiver fatigue. Caregiver fatigue was noted in a majority of caregivers, associated with female and parental caregivers, younger care recipients with severe disabilities, and increased time spent caregiving. Several social and economic factors unique to our country necessitate further study. Practical measures include telephonic consultations, counseling groups, and changes to daily interactions between healthcare workers and caregivers.
照顾者疲劳在残疾患者的照顾者中很常见，会损害照顾者和残疾人士的健康。印度没有基于社区的关于照顾者疲劳负担的数据。因此，我们旨在确定残疾患者家庭成员中照顾者疲劳的患病率，评估与照顾者、受照顾者相关的社会人口因素以及残疾性质与照顾者疲劳之间的关联。我们在韦洛尔的卡尼亚姆巴迪进行了一项横断面研究，采访了63名残疾人士及其照顾者。记录了人口统计学细节和照顾情况的细节。使用世界卫生组织残疾评估量表2.0评估残疾的严重程度，使用美国医学协会照顾者自我评估问卷评估照顾者疲劳。照顾者主要为女性（76.2%），最常见的是父母（41.3%），其次是配偶（30.2%）。此外，71.4%的照顾者没有从事有报酬的工作。最常见的残疾是身体和行动障碍，其次是脑损伤。71.4%的照顾者出现了照顾者疲劳。与照顾者疲劳相关的特征是女性、父母关系以及每天照顾时间超过6小时。男性患者和残疾程度超过50%的个体的照顾者更容易出现照顾者疲劳。大多数照顾者都存在照顾者疲劳，这与女性和父母照顾者、残疾严重的年轻受照顾者以及照顾时间增加有关。我国特有的一些社会和经济因素需要进一步研究。实际措施包括电话咨询、咨询小组以及改变医护人员与照顾者之间的日常互动。
