Abstract

BERMEJO, Laura Muñoz; CORDEIRO, Raul Alberto; CARVALHO, José Carlos  and  MOTA, Salvador Postigo. Emotional stress in elderly caregivers of the elderly. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2018, n.spe6, pp.-30. ISSN 1647-2160.  https://doi.org/10.19131/rpesm.0209.

BACKGROUND: Caregivers constitute a population at risk of psychic and physical alterations. Emotional disturbances, such as depression and anxiety, are under-diagnosed diseases in the caregiver. AIM: To know the support needs for elderly caregivers who care for the elderly as well as their association with emotional stress. METHODS: Study of quantitative observational, transversal and descriptive field. The sample is constituted by 107 elderly caregivers of elderly people, residents in the rural southwestern area of ​​Badajoz Health Area of ​​the Autonomous Community of Extremadura (Spain). The data collection was carried out through a structured questionnaire and the procedure applied was that of the survey. RESULTS: The average age of the elderly who perform the care is 76.9 years, slightly women predominate (59.8%) with respect to men (40.2%). 84.1% of care is carried out in marital relationships. 70.1% of elderly caregivers consider that they need help to perform the activities that require care. 31.8% requires help from specialized personnel due to emotional stress. There are statistically significant differences (p = .009) between people who need help and the risk of emotional disturbance of the caregiver. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly caregivers demand assistance to carry out the tasks of care. In addition, one third of caregivers require help from a specialist for emotional stress, and caregivers in need of help have a greater risk of emotional stress.

Keywords : Caregivers; Aged; Psychological stress; Mental health.

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