الملخص الإنجليزي
Background: The provision of care to patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is profoundly
distressing and can exert adverse effects on the physical and mental integrity of family caregivers.
The consequences of ministering to individuals dependent on dialysis on the quality of life, the
mental distress thereof, and the ensuing family caregivers' general burden have not been entirely
characterized. Few studies have been conducted in the Middle East to address quality of life,
psychological distress, and overall burden among family caregivers of patients undergoing
haemodialysis (HD). In Oman, up to the researcher knowledge no studies have explored caregivers'
burden and related variables among these caregivers.
Purpose: This study was conducted to describe caregivers' burden and associated factors among
caregivers of patients undergoing HD in Oman. It explored the variables (demographic
characteristics, clinical characteristics, overall burden, quality of life, and the psychological distress
of depression, anxiety, and stress) associated with caregivers of patients undergoing HD.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional exploratory design was used to describe caregivers' burden
and identify demographic and clinical variables, quality of life, overall burden, and psychological
distress among caregivers of patients undergoing HD. A sample of 326 unpaid adult family
caregivers was recruited from selected dialysis centers in the North Batinah region and Muscat in
Oman, using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using the Depression Anxiety
Stress Scale to measure psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress), WHO-QoL BREF
to assess the quality of life, and the Zarit Burden Interview scale to measure caregivers' burden.
Multiple linear regression was utilized to recognize the caregivers' burden components.
Result: The bivariate analysis evinced a significantly strong negative relationship between caregivers'
burden and the variables of physical health of the caregivers, perceived satisfaction with health. The
same relationship held for four dimensions of QoL: physical, psychological, social, and
environmental QoL. It was found that the burden on caregivers was higher when they tended to patients
with more dialysis complications and who were unable to assist themselves. The results also indicated that
patient physical health and total number of medications had a significantly strong negative relationship with
the overall burden. The regression analysis showed that depression, QoL physical, and duration of patient
dialysis significantly and positively predict burden, while the variable of degree of satisfaction with health
and environmental QoL significantly and negatively predicted burden and accounted for 31.8% of the
variance.
Conclusion: To lessen the burden on the caregivers, supportive initiatives should be created taking
into account the cultural traits of the community
