Objective: To describe caregiver burden according to the caregivers' general characteristics, especially with ageing, and type of care activities provided by caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injury.
Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing a structured questionnaire that included general characteristics, health conditions, and caregiver burden.
Setting: A single center study in Seoul, Korea.
Subjects: Participants were recruited from 87 individuals with spinal cord injuries and 87 caregivers.
Methods: The Caregiver Burden Inventory was used to assess caregiver burden.
Results: Caregiver burden was significantly different by age (p = 0.001), relationship (p = 0.025), sleep hours (p = <0.001), underlying disease (p = 0.018), pain (p = <0.001), and daily activities of individuals with spinal cord injury (p = 0.001). Caregiver's age (B = 0.339, p = 0.049), sleep duration (B = -2.896, p = 0.012) and pain (B = 2.558, p < 0.001) predicted caregiver burden. Toileting assistance was the most challenging and time-consuming for caregivers, while patient transfer was associated with the greatest concerns for body injury.
Conclusion: Caregiver education should be targeted according to caregiver's age and type of assistance. Social policies need to be developed to distribute devices and care-robots to reduce caregiver burden and thereby assist caregivers.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Spinal Cord Society.