Feelings of burden among family caregivers of people with spinal cord injury in Turkey.
METHODS
The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to examine the level of feelings of burden in family caregivers of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Turkey, and to explore its predictors.


METHODS
Turkey.


METHODS
One hundred family caregivers of people with SCI completed measures of burden of caregiving, depression, social support and physical health. The SCI participants completed a measure of functional independence. Multivariate statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted to identify significant predictors of caregiver burden.


RESULTS
Caregiver burden was significantly related to caregivers' feelings of depression. SEM analysis showed that social support from family and from friends predicted caregiver burden via depression. Caregivers' age, sex, educational level, physical health and household income did not significantly predict their feelings of depression or burden.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings revealed that support received from both families and friends is an important source for alleviating the depressive feelings of caregivers and, in return, their burden in the caregiving. In Turkey, high support from family members is expected and is important for psychological well-being, yet the current study showed that the support received from friends also has unique contribution to the well-being of the caregivers of persons with SCI. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of supportive relationships between family as well as friends for the caregivers who may have to provide lifetime care for their family member with special needs.
Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
E
E
Secinti
Department of Psychology, MEF University, Istanbul, Turkey.
H M
HM
Yavuz
Department of Psychology, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.
B
B
Selcuk
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression; D004644:Emotions; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult