title: Perceived health, caregiver burden, and quality of life in women partners providing care to Veterans with traumatic brain injury.
abstract: Families of Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are often faced with providing long-term informal care to their loved one. However, little is known about how their perceived health and caregiving burden contribute to their quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe perceived health, somatic symptoms, caregiver burden, and perceived QOL and to identify the extent to which these variables are associated with QOL in female partners/spouses of Veterans with TBI. Participants completed a written questionnaire including the Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Caregiver Reaction Assessment, Quality of Life Index, and the general health subscale of the 12-Item Short Form Survey version 2. Caregivers reported moderate levels of QOL, and over a quarter of the sample reported high levels of somatic symptoms, particularly fatigue and sleep disturbance. Age, perceived general health, somatic symptoms, the five subscales of caregiver burden (self-esteem, disrupted schedule, effect on finances, lack of family support, and effect on health) predicted QOL and explained 64% of its variance (adjusted r2= 0.64, F(8,31) = 9.59). However, only somatic symptoms and the caregiver burden subscales of self-esteem and effect on finances were significant predictors in the model. These findings have implications for development of family-centered interventions to enhance the QOL of informal caregivers of Veterans with TBI.
authors.affiliation: Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, Edward Hines Jr. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital, Hines, IL.|Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Saban
authors.affiliation: Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN.|Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Joan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urban
authors.affiliation: Ochsner Medical Center, Jefferson, LA.
authors.forename: Marissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Janusek
authors.affiliation: Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, Edward Hines Jr. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital, Hines, IL.|Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Theresa Louise-Bender
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Pape
authors.affiliation: Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, Edward Hines Jr. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital, Hines, IL.|Department of Biobehavioral Health Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Collins
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017028:Caregivers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D012747:Sexual Partners; D018454:Spouses; D014728:Veterans
keywords: Veterans; brain injuries; caregiver burden; caregiving; fatigue; informal caregiver; perceived health; quality of life; somatic symptoms; stress