Caregiver characteristics, social support and psychological distress among informal caregiver

Abstract

Informal caregivers of patients undergoing treatment play a crucial role in patients' recovery, and so are important to the healthcare system. However, little attention is given to the concerns of this important group by researchers and health policy makers, especially in lowand middle-income countries. This study examined the associations of caregiver characteristics, social support and psychological distress among informal caregivers in two Nigerian healthcare settings. Participants consisted of 315 caregivers (65.4% female; mean age = 31.13 years, SD = 10.70) who provided relevant demographic information and completed the Oslo Social Support Scale and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results showed that psychiatric inpatients' caregivers (PICs) reported greater social support than orthopaedic inpatients' caregivers (OICs). Consanguinity with patient had a significant effect on both social support and psychological distress in both groups. Differences in both social support and psychological distress were not found with respect to the caregivers' gender, locality (urban vs. rural), and patients' gender. We found that OICs reported greater psychological distress than PICs; however, a moderation result showed that being an orthopaedic caregiver predicted increased psychological distress for those with low and moderate levels of social support but at high social support, psychological distress levels did not vary as a function of hospital setting. Hence, the need for a long-term support for the informal caregivers of hospitalized patients where this is a practice.