Publication: Estudio de la sobrecarga del cuidador informal tras un proceso de intervención y participación comunitaria
Authors
Martínez Melero, Inmaculada
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Escuelas::Escuela Internacional de Doctorado
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García Rubio, Ana ; Ruiz García, María Jesús
Publisher
Universidad de Murcia
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
Description
Abstract
El progresivo envejecimiento de la población, consecuencia de los avances científicos y tecnológicos, ha dado lugar a un aumento de la dependencia y la necesidad de cuidados prolongados en el ámbito domiciliario. En este contexto, los cuidadores informales, generalmente familiares sin formación específica, asumen un rol fundamental que, en muchas ocasiones, conlleva una elevada carga física, emocional y social. Esta situación puede afectar negativamente a su calidad de vida y bienestar general, convirtiéndose en un importante problema de salud pública.
El presente trabajo aborda esta problemática a través de un estudio cuasiexperimental, de diseño pre-post intervención, sin grupo control, realizado en el Centro de Salud de San Antón, perteneciente al Área de Salud II de Cartagena (Región de Murcia), del Servicio Murciano de Salud. El objetivo principal fue evaluar la sobrecarga de los cuidadores informales de pacientes inmovilizados y valorar el impacto de una intervención comunitaria educativa, diseñada para reducir dicha sobrecarga y mejorar su bienestar.
La intervención educativa consistió en un programa formativo de seis sesiones semanales, dirigido a dotar a los cuidadores de conocimientos y habilidades que facilitaran el afrontamiento de su rol. Para evaluar su eficacia, se emplearon instrumentos validados que midieron la sobrecarga percibida (Escala de Sobrecarga del Cuidador Principal de Zarit), la calidad de vida física y mental (Cuestionario Genérico de Salud 12-Item Short Form Health Survey), el estado emocional (Escala de Ansiedad y Depresión de Goldberg) y el apoyo social percibido (Cuestionario Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey).
El análisis sociodemográfico evidenció que el perfil mayoritario de los cuidadores correspondía a mujeres de mediana edad, hijas de los pacientes, con bajo nivel educativo y dedicación exclusiva al cuidado. Además, factores como el estado civil, el grado de dependencia del paciente, el parentesco y la adherencia a la intervención comunitaria, mostraron asociación con la sobrecarga y otras dimensiones evaluadas. Los resultados de la intervención de salud mostraron una reducción significativa en los niveles de sobrecarga, así como una mejora en la percepción de apoyo social. No obstante, no se observaron cambios relevantes en la calidad de vida física y mental ni en los niveles de ansiedad y depresión, lo que sugiere la necesidad de plantear intervenciones de salud más prolongadas o adaptadas para abordar estos aspectos.
En conclusión, este estudio pone de manifiesto que, las intervenciones comunitarias breves pueden ser efectivas para reducir la sobrecarga y reforzar el apoyo social de los cuidadores informales. No obstante, destaca la necesidad de diseñar estrategias más amplias, sostenidas y adaptadas a las características y necesidades de este colectivo, con el fin de mejorar de manera integral su salud y calidad de vida, y garantizar la sostenibilidad de los cuidados a largo plazo.
The progressive aging of the population, driven by scientific and technological advances, has led to an increase in dependency and the need for prolonged home-based care. In this context, informal caregivers, typically family members without specific training, play a fundamental role, which often entails a high physical, emotional, and social burden. This situation can negatively affect their quality of life and overall well-being, thus becoming a significant public health issue. This work addresses the problem through a quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention study without a control group, conducted at the San Antón Health Center, part of Health Area II of Cartagena (Region of Murcia), within the Servicio Murciano de Salud. The main objective was to assess the burden of informal caregivers of bedridden patients and to evaluate the impact of an educational community intervention designed to reduce caregiver burden and improve their well-being. The intervention consisted of a six-week training program aimed at equipping caregivers with knowledge and skills to better cope with their role. To assess its effectiveness, validated instruments were used to measure perceived burden (Zarit Burden Interview), physical and mental quality of life (12-Item Short Form Health Survey), emotional state (Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale), and perceived social support (Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey). The sociodemographic analysis revealed that the majority of caregivers were middle-aged women, daughters of the patients, with a low educational level and exclusively dedicated to caregiving. Additionally, factors such as marital status, patient dependency level, caregiver-patient relationship, and adherence to the intervention were associated with caregiver burden and other evaluated dimensions. The results of the intervention showed a significant reduction in caregiver burden levels, as well as an improvement in perceived social support. However, no relevant changes were observed in physical and mental quality of life or in anxiety and depression levels, suggesting the need for longer or more tailored interventions to address these aspects. In conclusion, this study highlights that brief community-based interventions can be effective in reducing the burden and strengthening social support of informal caregivers. This study also underscores the need to design broader, sustained, and tailored strategies to comprehensively improve caregivers' health and quality of life and to ensure long-term sustainability of care
The progressive aging of the population, driven by scientific and technological advances, has led to an increase in dependency and the need for prolonged home-based care. In this context, informal caregivers, typically family members without specific training, play a fundamental role, which often entails a high physical, emotional, and social burden. This situation can negatively affect their quality of life and overall well-being, thus becoming a significant public health issue. This work addresses the problem through a quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention study without a control group, conducted at the San Antón Health Center, part of Health Area II of Cartagena (Region of Murcia), within the Servicio Murciano de Salud. The main objective was to assess the burden of informal caregivers of bedridden patients and to evaluate the impact of an educational community intervention designed to reduce caregiver burden and improve their well-being. The intervention consisted of a six-week training program aimed at equipping caregivers with knowledge and skills to better cope with their role. To assess its effectiveness, validated instruments were used to measure perceived burden (Zarit Burden Interview), physical and mental quality of life (12-Item Short Form Health Survey), emotional state (Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale), and perceived social support (Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey). The sociodemographic analysis revealed that the majority of caregivers were middle-aged women, daughters of the patients, with a low educational level and exclusively dedicated to caregiving. Additionally, factors such as marital status, patient dependency level, caregiver-patient relationship, and adherence to the intervention were associated with caregiver burden and other evaluated dimensions. The results of the intervention showed a significant reduction in caregiver burden levels, as well as an improvement in perceived social support. However, no relevant changes were observed in physical and mental quality of life or in anxiety and depression levels, suggesting the need for longer or more tailored interventions to address these aspects. In conclusion, this study highlights that brief community-based interventions can be effective in reducing the burden and strengthening social support of informal caregivers. This study also underscores the need to design broader, sustained, and tailored strategies to comprehensively improve caregivers' health and quality of life and to ensure long-term sustainability of care
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