Caregiver burden among informal caregivers of hospitalized patients with frailty: A cross-sectional survey

This study aimed to investigate the status of caregiver burden among informal caregivers of hospitalized frail older patients and explore the associated factors. A total of 191 frail older patients and their informal caregivers were recruited from the inpatient units of the three teaching hospitals. We collected data using the FRAIL scale, the Zarit Burden Interview, and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire. We used descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression for the data analysis. The caregivers of hospitalized frail older patients experienced a moderate caregiver burden (26.476</n>11.289). The regression model for caregiver burden was significant. Male caregivers, taking care of patients before hospitalization, experiencing negative emotions, and negative coping styles were significantly associated with caregiver burden, F (7, 183) =15.13, p <. 001. The findings suggest that early identification of caregiver burden and focused interventions for alleviating caregiver burden are needed. (c) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.