Quality of Life of Informal Caregivers of Chronically Ill Persons

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the quality of life of informal caregivers of persons living with chronic illness by determining if it is related to the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. Materials and methods: One hundred twenty-seven (127) in informal caregivers residing in Monteria (Cordoba, Colombia) were evaluated during the second half of 2012, through an ex post facto study using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Four broad domains were considered to measure quality of life; namely, a) physical health, b) psychological health, c) social relationships and d) environment. The data were analyzed with SPSS 18.0 using Pearson's chi-square and tests of differences among the groups. Results: Low levels of physical and psychological health, impaired social participation processes and moderate levels of interaction with the environment were observed. Conditions such as the caregiver's gender, occupation and relationship with the patient showed a significant match (p <0.05) with quality of life in relation to the domains of environment, social life and psychological health. Conclusions: Informal caregivers experience a general deterioration in their quality of life with marked deficits in terms of social relationships.