Investigation of the burden of care and depression levels of individuals who provide home care services and factors affecting it

AIM: MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our research is a single-center descriptive cross- sectional study conducted by applying a face-to-face questionnaire to the caregivers of totally dependent patients who applied to the Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital Home Health Services unit. As data collection tools, the caregiver information form, the patient information form, the Zarit Burden Interview and the Beck Depression Inventory were used. RESULTS: In our study, it was determined that the participants had mild burden of care and mild depressive symptoms and a significant positive relationship was found between depressive symptoms and caregiving burden (r=0,606, p<0,01). Both burden of care and depression levels of caregivers who do not work, who evaluate their own health poorly, who state that the care work affects their health negatively, who have low sleep quality and who feel burnout, were found statistically significantly higher. Depression levels of female caregivers and care burden levels of family member who needed caregivers because they have no one to take care of their patient were found to be statistically significantly higher CONCLUSION: It should be ensured that caregivers are screened periodically in terms of care burden and depression, including in-home health services, sharing care responsibilities, increasing the number of palliative care centers and bed capacity and providing these individuals to socialize.