Objectives: this study assessed burden, coping, physical symptoms and psychological morbidity in caregivers of functionally dependent family members.
Methods: fifty family caregivers completed self-reported measures of burden, physical symptoms, psychological morbidity and coping strategies.
Results: there was a significant negative correlation between coping strategies and the different clinical variables, as well as a significant positive correlation between coping strategies and duration of care. It appears that the stronger bond between caregiver and family member leads to a poorer use of adaptive coping strategies. It also appears that the deterioration of the relationship between them and the lower perceived self-efficacy are more prominent in caregivers of family members with cognitive impairment, indicating that caregivers with family members without cognitive impairment face fewer difficulties.
Conclusion: these results emphasize the need for interventions to include coping strategies, since they are important in reducing caregivers' burden, psychological morbidity and physical symptoms.