title: Caregiving in heart failure: relationship quality is associated with caregiver benefit finding and caregiver burden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether relationship quality is associated with caregiver benefit or burden and how depression influences these associations.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Caregivers influence outcomes of patients with heart failure (HF). Relationship quality, caregiver benefit and burden are key factors in the caregiving experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen caregivers of HF outpatients completed measures of relationship quality, caregiver benefit, burden and depression. Associations were assessed using Pearson's correlations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relationship quality was positively associated with caregiver benefit (r = 0.45, P = 0.05) and negatively associated with burden (r = -0.80, P < 0.0001) and depression (r = -0.77, P = 0.0001). Relationship quality and burden remained associated after controlling for depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this exploratory study, relationship quality was positively associated with caregiver benefit and negatively associated with burden. Future studies are needed to further understand these key caregiving factors, which may lead to opportunities to help caregivers see benefits and reduce burden.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA; VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO, USA. Electronic address: Hillary.Lum@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Hillary D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Lum
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Daphne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hooker
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine and College of Nursing, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Colorado Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (CCOR), Denver, CO, USA.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Bekelman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological
keywords: Burden; Caregivers; Heart failure; Mutuality; Relationship quality