Psychological impact and the burden of caregiving for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in the community in Fiji

Study design: This study was designed as a cross-sectional one. A set of structured questionnaires was administered. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to explore the psychological response of the caregivers of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to assess the burden of caregiving for SCI persons living in the community in Fiji. Setting: Fiji, South Pacific. Methods: A total of 30 primary caregivers of persons with SCI. The Index of Psychological Well-Being (IPWB) was used to assess the psychological impact of care giving, and Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) was used to evaluate the burden associated with caregiving for persons with SCI. Barthel Index (BI) scale was used to measure the functional abilities of the care recipients. Results: The majority of the participants (n = 20) were women, who had an ethnic Fijian background (n = 18) and were married (n = 18), and were spouses (n = 13). Mean BI of the persons with SCI was 7.1 (s.d. 5.23) on a 0-20 scale, with 90% (n = 27) suffering from moderate-to-very severe disability (BI<15). The mean duration of caregiving was 6.1 years (s.d. 4.23). On average, the caregivers provided 6.1 h (s.d. 2.19) of caregiving per day. The experiences of caregiving adversely affected the caregiver psychological well-being. Participants demonstrated high levels of time-dependent and development burden. Caregiving was significantly related to the number of hours spent providing care (rs = 0.35, P<0.05), and the older caregiver age (rs = 0.46, P<0.01). Conclusion: Being a primary caregiver of a SCI person contributes to caregiver burden and psychological distress. The findings indicate that the contributions of these people should be recognized and interventions should be tailored not only toward the needs of the care recipients but also to the needs of the caregivers. Spinal Cord (2011) 49, 928-934; doi:10.1038/sc.2011.15; published online 8 March 2011