Influence of self-care on burnout in primary family caregiver of person with dementia

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of self-care on burnout experienced by primary family caregivers of persons with dementia.

Methods: The subjects of the study were 156 primary family caregivers of persons with dementia at home in Korea. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and hierarchical multiple regression using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 24.0 for Windows.

Results: The mean scores for self-care and burnout were 42.35 and 61.60, respectively. Self-care, subjective health status, living with a person with dementia, and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia were significant factors affecting burnout in family caregivers. Self-care was identified as the strongest factor affecting burnout, explaining 13.9% of burnout with controlling factors in caregivers and care receivers.

Conclusion: To prevent burnout in primary family caregivers of persons with dementia, self-care of family caregivers should be emphasized. In nursing education, family caregivers should be recognized and approached as nursing clients who are responsible for taking care of their health. In nursing practice and research, digital self-care or self-care improvement intervention programs should be designed to help family caregivers, and further studies on self-care centered on health of family caregivers should be conducted.