title: Caregivers' morbidity in palliative care unit: predicting by gender, age, burden and self-esteem.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assesses psychological distress suffered by caregivers of patients with a disease at an advanced and terminal state admitted at a palliative care unit. Specifically, these areas were examined in how distress was perceived: the contribution of caregiving burden, caregivers' self-esteem, caregivers' age and gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample constituted of 159 caregivers. Measurements included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess distress, the shortened version of the Zarit Burden Inventory and Rosenberg self-esteem scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 77% of the caregivers reported probable significant distress (HADS ≥ 12), with a similar proportion with anxiety (76.1%) and depression (77.4%) within the caregivers' symptomatology. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the caregivers' self-esteem (p < 0.01) and caregivers' burden (p < 0.01) were stronger predictors of caregivers' distress than the socio-demographic characteristics, age or gender (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high prevalence of morbidity was noticed in caregivers of patients admitted at the palliative care unit. The early provision of psychological support to caregivers by healthcare staff may indeed help to decrease comorbidity symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital of Mataró, Barcelona, Spain. gcosta@csdm.cat
authors.forename: Gema
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Costa-Requena
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cristófol
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cañete
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D019452:Terminally Ill; D055815:Young Adult