Investigation of low back pain, depression and burnout levels of the caregiver staff who works with disabled children and elderly people

Abstract

Seda Karaman

Statement of the Problem: Caregiving is a profession that requires physical effort and is also affected by psychosocial factors. Researchers have reported that the difficulties of caregiving adversely affect the quality of life associated with physical and mental health. The aim of the study was to investigate the low-back pain, depression and burnout levels among formal caregivers of elderly and children with disability. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: The study included 29 caregivers of disabled children and 26 caregivers of elderly. In the evaluation of low back pain, the part related to low back pain in the Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (SNMA) was used. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were used to assess depression and burnout levels respectively. Findings: There was a significant difference between the two groups only for the frequency of pain (p=0.039). There was a significant difference in depression levels between the groups (p=0.001) and no difference in the burnout level of the among groups. Conclusion & Significance: The caregivers involved in this study suffered from high low-back pain. Individuals in the elderly care group experienced pain for several days a week, while the disability care group had either continuous (almost daily) or rarely pain. In this study, the level of depression of the caregivers of disabled children was higher than the caregivers of elderly. Burnout levels of both groups were similar. It was found that both groups experienced moderate emotional burnout in the mean scores of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscale, but there was a high level of burnout in the personal accomplishment subscale. Physical and psychosocial problems experienced by caregivers can significantly affect the quality of care. In conclusion, early recognition, prevention and coping with problems affecting the physical and mental health of caregivers able to improve the quality of healthcare services.