Resilience and associated factors of family caregivers of the terminal illness patients at Cheewabhibaln Center, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital

Abstract

Background: Family caregivers play an important role to provide support and care for terminal illness patients by spending their time responding to the patients’ needs. Receiving this role can cause them to be stressful and anxious. Therefore, it is essential for them to have resilience so that they are able to overcome potentially all burdens.

Objectives: The present study aimed to examine resilience and associated factors of family caregivers of the terminal illness patients at Cheewabhibaln Center, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in 150 family caregivers. The sample group was recruited through the purposive sampling method from both male and female family caregivers who had been taking care of the terminal illness patients for one continuous month. Moreover, the subjects completed eight questionnaires including: 1) Demographic Characteristics Form; 2) Caregiving Data Form; 3) Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale; 4) Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale Questionnaire; 5) The Revised version of Thai Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; 6) Thai Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Thai HADS); 7) Social Support Questionnaire; and, 8) Family Relationship and Function Questionnaire

Results: The average scores of resilience in family caregivers of the terminal illness patients were 69.7 13.8 which lower than the average scores of the population. Factors associated with moderate-to-high level of resilience included no use of sedatives/hypnotics (P < 0.05), no anxiety (P < 0.05), no depression (P < 0.05), moderate-to-high level of overall social support scale (P < 0.05), with moderate-to-high level of each dimension of social support scale which consisted of; emotional support (P < 0.01), informational support (P < 0.01) and tangible support (P < 0.05). Furthermore, it was found that the predictors of moderate-to-high level of resilience were no use of sedatives/hypnotics (P < 0.05), and moderate-to-high level of social support (P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Family caregivers of the terminal illness patients had lower level of resilience than the general population. The associated factors and predictors of moderate-to-high level of resilience were no use of sedatives/hypnotics and moderate-to-high level of social support. Therefore, in order to promote resilience in the family caregivers, supporting their mental health and providing good social support in every dimension especially the informational support would be crucial to the family caregivers.