Consequences of Caregiving and Burden Prevalence in Informal Caregivers

Abstract

Introduction: The progressive aging and increasing level of dependency in Cuba are redefining the role of family caregivers as a predictor of health. Understanding the conditions suffered by caregivers would allow for early diagnoses and timely interventions, improve primary health indicators, and prevent negative impacts of caregiving on the patient and the caregiver themselves.

Objective: To characterize, based on Cuban research, the consequences of caregiving on informal caregivers, summarized in terms of the effects on their physical and mental health and the prevalence of caregiver burden.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted from April to November 2023. Articles were extracted from CUMED and SciELO Cuba databases; articles from the Cuban Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar were consulted. The search strategy included the following keywords: caregiver, family/informal caregiver, caregiving burden, caregiver in Cuba, and caregiver and Cuba, filtering the last 5 years (2018-2023). The retrieved documents were processed through content analysis using the criteria: 1) sociodemographic characteristics, 2) physical and mental health conditions, and 3) presentation and intensity of the caregiving burden.

Conclusions: Widespread impacts on the physical and mental health of caregivers were evident. Caregiving burden was the main effect, which also impacts the quality of caregiving, and is therefore recognized as a health problem at the primary level of care.