Abstract
Objective: To assess caregiver burden, social support, and quality of life among caregivers of people with dementia, as well as the link between caregiver burden and quality of life.
Place and duration of study: The study was conducted in various health care units of Rawalpindi and Islamabad for 6 months from September 2020 to February 2021.
Material and Methods: There were (N=50) informal caregivers among the participants. The study included participation from both men (n = 18, 36%) and women (n = 32, 64%). Purposive sampling was used to gather data from hospitals' departments of neurology and psychiatry. The research design used for the study was a correlational survey. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to examine the study's findings. The association between quality of life and psychosocial factors was evaluated using bivariate Pearson's correlation analysis. To determine if psychosocial factors are predictive of quality of life, hierarchical multiple regression was utilized.
Results: The results of the study showed a strong positive correlation between social support and quality of life. Additionally, it was found that caregiver burden and quality of life were significantly correlated negatively. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that while caregiver burden had a negative effect on quality of life, social support positively predicted quality of life.
Conclusion: The quality of life of caregivers is a crucial topic in the current era, particularly in a nation like Pakistan where caregivers tend to their elderly family members for the majority of the time. The negative experience of caregivers can influence the individuals with dementia continuity of care, compliance with treatment and social support. Then, it becomes a vicious cycle
Keywords: Informal Caregivers, Persons with Dementia, Quality of Life, Caregiver Burden, Social Support.
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