Quality of life of primary caregivers of spinal cord injury survivors

• Published in: Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem Vol. 66; no. 1; pp. 79 - 84
• Main Authors: Graça, Ágatha, Nascimento, Matheus Amarante do, Lavado, Edson Lopes, Garanhani, Márcia Regina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem 01-01-2013
• Subjects: Calidad de Vida; Caregivers; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cuidadores; Female; Humans; Lesiones de la Médula Espinal; Middle Aged; Nursing; Quality of Life; Spinal Cord Injuries - nursing; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0034-7167; 1984-0446; 0034-7167
• DOI: 10.1590/S0034-71672013000100012

The aim of this study was to analyze quality of life of caregivers who are relatives of patients with spine cord injury (SCI). Fourteen women (seven caregivers and seven controls) were evaluated by the Medical Outcomes Study 36 - Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS) Questionnaires. The data from both questionnaires were compared using the Mann-Whitney U testing procedure for differences between caregivers and controls (p<0.05). The results from SF-36 were not statistically significant between groups, however, for the CBS data, there were significant differences between groups (p>0.05), characterized by the percentage difference of 62%, 66.7%, 55%, 50%, 57% and 63% for tension, isolation, disappointment, emotional involvement, environment and overall score, respectively. The CBS questionnaire was more adequate for verifying quality of life of caregivers of SCI patients, and caregiving may have a negative impact on their quality of life.