Autor(es):
Simões, Isabel Maria Henriques 
Data: 2009
Origem: Repositório Científico da Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra
Detalhes do Documento
Impact of Chronic Illness to the Caregiver Family: difficulties and coping stra...
Descrição
The socio-demographic and cultural changes that occurred in the last years have turned care giving to relatives with chronic or incapacitating diseases into an emotional and physical burden, with serious implications in the quality of life of the caregivers, more marked in the main ones. The aim of this study is to know the background of informal care conveyed by wives to dependent husbands victims of stroke, trying to identify perceived difficulties and the most used strategies of coping and their relation with age, socio-economical status and duration of care giving as well as the relation between the use of certain strategies and the perception of those difficulties. The sample is composed of 41 caregivers with an average age of 66.98 years, most of them with a low scholarship, retired, with a middle-low socio-economical status and from a rural environment. The majority lives alone with their husbands and do not share the responsibility of care with anyone. Also most of them claim to have help from their family although only 12 have daily help. Only 10 of the caregivers have formal help (health and social services). CADI scales were used to identify the difficulties and CAMI scales for coping strategies. Data was collected through structured interviews. The perception of the difficulties increases with the socio-economical level of the caregivers, being the physical and emotional burdens the most perceived. The older the caregiver the less they perceive the lack of informal support. The results suggest no relation between the perception of the difficulties and the duration of care giving. The study reveals that the valorisation of competences and experience of care together with occupation and the share of feelings and worries are the strategies most used by the caregivers. The younger they are the more they follow the strategy of “ live day by day “. The use of confront mechanisms to deal with stress symptoms is related to the socio-economical status, although some are more employed by caregivers of higher status and others from lower ones. To believe in competence and experience in the practice of care giving is a strategy that is acquired with time. Crying is the strategy most strongly related with the perception of difficulties. In the interpretation of these results we must take into consideration the reduced number of participants. Nevertheless, it is a valid analysis, considering that it provides important information to guide intervention strategies to help caregivers of patients with stroke.
The socio-demographic and cultural changes that occurred in the last years have turned care giving to relatives with chronic or incapacitating diseases into an emotional and physical burden, with serious implications in the quality of life of the caregivers, more marked in the main ones. The aim of this study is to know the background of informal care conveyed by wives to dependent husbands victims of stroke, trying to identify perceived difficulties and the most used strategies of coping and their relation with age, socio-economical status and duration of care giving as well as the relation between the use of certain strategies and the perception of those difficulties. The sample is composed of 41 caregivers with an average age of 66.98 years, most of them with a low scholarship, retired, with a middle-low socio-economical status and from a rural environment. The majority lives alone with their husbands and do not share the responsibility of care with anyone. Also most of them claim to have help from their family although only 12 have daily help. Only 10 of the caregivers have formal help (health and social services). CADI scales were used to identify the difficulties and CAMI scales for coping strategies. Data was collected through structured interviews. The perception of the difficulties increases with the socio-economical level of the caregivers, being the physical and emotional burdens the most perceived. The older the caregiver the less they perceive the lack of informal support. The results suggest no relation between the perception of the difficulties and the duration of care giving. The study reveals that the valorisation of competences and experience of care together with occupation and the share of feelings and worries are the strategies most used by the caregivers. The younger they are the more they follow the strategy of “ live day by day “. The use of confront mechanisms to deal with stress symptoms is related to the socio-economical status, although some are more employed by caregivers of higher status and others from lower ones. To believe in competence and experience in the practice of care giving is a strategy that is acquired with time. Crying is the strategy most strongly related with the perception of difficulties. In the interpretation of these results we must take into consideration the reduced number of participants. Nevertheless, it is a valid analysis, considering that it provides important information to guide intervention strategies to help caregivers of patients with stroke.
Tipo de Documento
Outro
Idioma Inglês
Idioma Inglês
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