• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.292-305
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing the entrapment of primary caregivers of cancer patients. Methods: From 6 general hospitals, 146 primary caregivers of cancer patients who were receiving home healthcare nursing service were selected for the study. Regarding data collection, structured questionnaires were distributed to the caregivers for data collection. T-test, ANOVA and hierarchical regression were used for data analysis. Results: The significantly influential factors on their entrapment were caregiving time, taking turms to look after the patient, disease duration, home healthcare nursing period, quality of relationship, perceived health status, and social support. And the explanatory power was 55.1% Conclusion: To reduce primary caregivers' entrapment, it is necessary to perform comprehensive and continuous nursing intervention, and to develop a standardized home healthcare nursing intervention program, and to come up with a system for using resources available in local communities.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.54-64
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify factors influencing burnout in primary family caregivers of Home Health Care Patients. Methods: Data were collected from 121 primary family caregivers of home health care patients in three different hospitals in 'D' metropolitan city and the study was conducted from August 10, 2016 to January 17, 2017. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression. Results: Mean scores for the nursing needs of the participants were $3.54{\pm}0.79$, the family functions were $1.24{\pm}0.58$, the burnouts were $2.74{\pm}0.49$. The burnouts were positively correlated with the nursing needs but inversely correlated with the family function. The factor that had the greatest influence on the burnouts of primary family caregivers of Home Health Care was family function (${\beta}=-.245$, p=.001), followed by patients' daily activity (${\beta}=-.213$, p=.014), age (${\beta}=.208$, p=.032), monthly nursing services cost (${\beta}=-.196$, p=.044) and nursing needs (${\beta}=.129$, p=.014). The Explanatory Power of Models was 23%. Conclusion: Individually customized home care nursing intervention programs are required to be provided in accordance with patient's family function and daily activity, monthly home care nursing service cost, nursing needs and general characteristics of primary caregivers of Home Health Care Patients such as their age, the number of family members living together, sex and the name of disease.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.144-155
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• 2010

Purpose: This study investigated the factors affecting the quality of life (QOL) of the primary caregivers of home health care patients. Method: The subjects were 110 primary caregivers of patients who were receiving home health care from two home health care centers affiliated with general hospitals in Seoul. Data collection was conducted using five questionnaires. Results: Positive relationships were evident between QOL and social support and perceived health status of the primary caregiver. Negative relationships were evident between QOL and burden and depression. Multiple linear regression analysis for QOL revealed that the most powerful influencing factor was social support. Social support, burden, and depression explained 34.3% of the variance. Conclusion: Burden, depression, and social support are related with QOL of primary caregivers of home health care patients. Nursing intervention strategies directed at this caregiver population are needed.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.125-134
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• 2002

Purpose: The objectives for this study were to identify the factors that correlate with appraisal of illness and to explore what variables are predictive of cancer patients primary caregivers' cognitive appraisal for stress. Method: The subjects were selected by convenient sampling and 130 caregivers who completed a questionnaire. Measures used in this study included the Family Inventory of Resources for Management, Social Support Index, Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales and Family Coping Coherence Index. Pearson correlation was used to identify the relationship among factors and multiple regression was used to determine the individual and cumulative effect of potential predictors on the caregivers' appraisal. Results: Patient's level of activity, severity of the disease, quality of relation between patient and caregiver, caregiver's subjective health status, economic status, family resources and coping were significantly correlated. Among the variables, coping, family resources, economic status and quality of relation between caregiver and patient predicted 49.2 percent of the variance in appraisal of caregivers' stress condition. Conclusion: These findings suggest that coping mechanisms and family resources are important for positive appraisal. Nurses should provide adequate nursing care for the primary caregiver about professional care information and supportive counseling.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.187-198
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was to compare and examine the factors influencing burden of primary family caregivers according to the severity of illness of elderly patients admitted in an intensive care unit. Methods: Subjects were the families of elderly patients in intensive care units of K, S and Y hospitals in Seoul. Data were collected from March to October 2007. Subjects were 108 persons over age 65. Data were analyzed by SAS statistics. Results: First, groups 5 and 3 showed higher burden than that of group 4. Second, high correlation was found between stress and burden, stress and anxiety, and burden and anxiety. Third, factors influencing family burden were found to be stress for group 5, stress, anxiety, and monthly income for group 4, and stress and patient age for group 3. Conclusion: Specific nursing interventions to decrease the stress of primary family caregivers of serious ill elderly patients in an intensive care unit are needed. Additionally, more effective and systematic activation of a long-term medical insurance system for seriously ill seniors is considered necessary to mediate the burden of primary family caregivers.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.384-395
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• 2000

This study examined burdens of primary family caregivers, and family functioning of patients with cancer. In addition, the relationship between two concepts was assessed to develop nursing intervention to reduce the burdens of caregiving, and to improve family functioning. Ninety-two primary family caregivers of patients with cancer at a general hospital in Seoul participated in this study. The patients with cancer aged from 19 to 84 years with a mean age of 51 years, and sixty-one percent were male. About 30 percent of the patients suffered liver and billiary tract cancer. Fifty-six percent of the primary family caregivers were spouses of the patients and 70.7 percent were women. Primary family caregivers' burdens were assessed by the Burden Scale originally developed by Zarit (1980) and Novak & Guest(1989) and modified by Jang (1995) for use in Korea. The instrument consists of six subscales: time-dependent burden, developmental burden, physical burden, emotional burden, social burden, and financial burden. Family functioning was assessed by the Family APGAR developed by Smilkstein(1978). The results were as follows: 1. The average burden score was 86.1, indicating a moderate level of burden. The time-dependent burden scored highest followed by developmental, physical, social, financial, and emotional burdens. The mean score of family APGAR was 9.71; among subjects 82.6% were included in dysfunctional families. 2. Of the characteristics of patients, age, gender, number of admissions, and job were found to be associated with the level of burden. There was no significant difference between patient characteristics and family functioning. Of the characteristics of primary family caregivers, caregiver's perception of patient prognosis was significantly related to the level of burden, and family functioning. Caregiver's sex and age were also related to family functioning. The quality of relationship between a patient and a caregiver was significant situational factors affecting the level of burden, and family functioning. In addition, the income of family, and help from other family members were related to the level of burden. Given the results, it is essential to develop nursing intervention to reduce burden and to improve family functioning, such as support groups.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.55-70
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine differences in Spiritual Interests Related to Illness Tool (SpIRIT) scores and the degree of spiritual needs (SNs) between patients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers and to compare spiritual needs between them. Methods: The study participants were inpatients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers at 40 national hospice centers. The final analysis included 120 SpIRIT surveys from patients and 115 from family members, and 99 SNs questionnaires from patients and 111 from family members. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: There were no significant between-group differences in SpIRIT scores or SNs. The SpIRIT sub-dimensions that ranked high for both patients and primary family caregivers were "maintaining positive perspective", "loving others", and "finding meaning". The SNs sub-dimensions were ranked identically in both groups, in the order of "love and connection", "hope and peace", "meaning and purpose", respectively. In both groups, the recognition of the importance of spiritual matters and religion were major factors influencing SpIRIT scores and SNs. Conclusion: The SpIRIT scores and degree of SNs of patients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers were found to be very closely related, and the needs for coherence and meaning were greater than religious needs. When providing spiritual care for patients with terminal illness, family members should also be considered, and their prioritization of spiritual needs and the importance of spiritual matters and religion shall be taken into account.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.242-248
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• 2007

Purpose. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor disabilities and increasing dependence on others for daily life activities with consequent impact on patients' and caregivers' quality of life. The aim of this study was to elucidate the burden on primary caregivers of patients with PD, and identify related factors. Methods. A cross-sectional descriptive study. Seventy-six primary caregivers of PD patients in a neurology out-patient clinic, Seoul, Korea completed structured questionnaires, of which 68 were analyzed. The structured self-report questionnaire included (1) demographic information on the caregivers, (2) information regarding the disease characteristics of the patients, and (3) the subjective and objective caregiver burdens as assessed on Montgomery, Gonyea, & Hooyman's scale. Results. The mean age of the caregivers was 54.56 years, and spouses represented the largest proportion (47.0%). Caregivers of PD patients experienced high levels of burden (mean scores on the subjective and objective burdens were 45.22 and 34.90, respectively), which were comparable to the caregiver burdens in stroke, and higher than the caregiver burdens in general chronic disease. Older caregivers and spousal caregivers experienced significantly higher burdens (p=.004 and p=.019, respectively). A greater motor disability and higher modified Hoehn and Yahr grade were related to higher caregiver burden (p=.001 and p=.018, respectively). Conclusion. Caring for PD patients is associated with a high level of caregiver burden. Therefore, healthcare professionals should identify the burden of caregivers who look after PD patients and develop comprehensive management strategies both for patients and their caregivers.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.285-310
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• 2004

The major purpose of this study is to examine effectiveness of an intervention program which aims at education/training caregivers of the dementia and/or stroke elderly. This program was conducted at group level. Participants of this program were the primary caregivers who have taken care of the elderly with dementia and/or stroke. To test the effectiveness of the caregiver education/training program, this study employed an quasi-experimental design: to compare pretest score with posttest ones for the same participants. Total forty two primary caregivers have completed the program. Seventeen caregivers were in experimental group, whereas twenty five ones belonged to control group. Our data suggest that, for the primary caregivers, subjective quality of life was more important than cargiving burden. Subjective quality of life among the caregivers significantly improved, after completing the program. This result suggests that a short-term intervention program at group level is not effective to reduce caregiving burden because an infra structure of community resources, to which the caregivers and their family access, did not remain at sufficient level. However, participants have showed improved mutual solidarity, and they have exposed to wider spectrum of a variety of information. As a result, they have perceived that the level of subjective quality of life has positively changed. Additional factors have influenced on determining the quality of life among the caregivers. The caregivers, whose demented elderly showed lower level of ADL and IADL, or who have experienced the short period of caregiving, were more likely to belong to higher level of quality of life. The quality of life among the caregivers were even more improved in the following group: being young, and highly educated, man. One of the contributions from this study is that we have found caregiver's characteristics, which need an intervention most. In addition, our study implies that specific contents of the caregivers' education/training program should be conducted based on each family's unique characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.457-467
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the main factors influencing family functioning of caregivers in families with stroke. Method: A Convenient sample of 173 primary family caregivers who take care of a stroke patient at an Oriental medicine hospital in Jeonbuk. Interviews were done with a standardized questionnaire including family functioning by nurses. Results: In Pearson's correlation analysis, the influencing factors related to family functioning were ADL(p=.017), level of paralysis(p=.019) as stressors, Quality of relation(p=.000) as situational variables, and family caregivers' burden(p=.000). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed 29.9% of the variance family functioning was significantly accounted for by the quality of relationship between stroke patient and caregiver(26.8%), and caregiver burden(3.1%). Conclusions: Findings indicate that families of stroke patients need family-focused nursing intervention as supported care to improve the relationship between patient and primary caregiver and relieve caregiver burden by culturally tailoring to Korean.