The Association between Caregiver Burden and Resilience in Family Caregivers of Older Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases

 
The close engagement of family caregivers in the care of older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may predispose them to anxiety, frustration, and social isolation, which may consequently affect their resilience and care burden.
 
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between caregiver burden and resilience in family caregivers of older adults with COPD.
 
This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted on 240 family caregivers of older adults with COPD who were referred to a specialty pulmonology clinic in Iran. The participants were recruited by convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Zarit Burden Inventory and the 25-item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale. Statistical analyses included t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression.
 
The mean age of the caregivers was 51.20 ± 11.84 years. The majority of participants experienced low (55.7%) or moderate (43.8%) caregiver burden. The overall mean caregiver burden score was also moderate (20.01 ± 6.46). The overall mean resilience score was high (77.85 ± 10.17). An inverse relationship was found between resilience and caregiver burden (r = −0.38; P < 0.001).
 
As resilience increases, caregiver burden decreases. Implementing early counseling intervention for promoting resilience, increase tolerance to problems, and reduce caring burden among family caregivers of older adults with COPD.