Burden of Informal Caregivers from an HHC Military Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Daniela Patrícia Santos Costa (), Husam I. Ardah and Amjad Searya
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Daniela Patrícia Santos Costa: Home Health Care, Ministry of National Guard—Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
Husam I. Ardah: King Abdullah International Research Center, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
Amjad Searya: King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: (1) Background: Home health care (HHC) services guarantee good patient care and family support. Understanding how we can better help our informal caregivers (ICs) by understanding their needs and the burden they experience is crucial. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2024 at an HHC facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 22-item Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-22) was used to assess the caregiver burden (CB). ICs of patients with specific diseases (palliative, cancer, chronic, and dementia patients) and other factors were studied to identify any association with informal caregiver burden (ICB). (3) Results: Significant CB was defined as ZBI ≥ 21. The IC (384) participants comprised 119 caregivers of dementia patients, 104 caregivers of chronic patients, 83 caregivers of palliative patients, and 78 caregivers of cancer patients. The total mean of the ZBI-22 score among ICs was 31.66, representing a significant CB. The means by groups were as follows: chronic patients, 38.28; dementia patients, 34.97; cancer patients, 25.21; and palliative patients, 22.94. Other variables, such as the duration of care, education level, relationship with the patient, and unemployment, were associated with CB ( p -value < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: The caregivers’ characteristics and the patients’ disease were associated with significant CB. More interventions from healthcare workers to support ICs are essential to release their burden.

Keywords: informal caregiver burden; Zarit scale; Saudi Arabia; home health care; palliative; cancer; dementia; chronic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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