Emotional Coping Strategies for Informal Caregivers of Hospitalized Patients: A Study of Distress and Overload

Abstract

Purpose

Informal caregivers constitute a vulnerable population group that has forsaken their activities and life projects with the sole purpose of caring for a dependent individual without receiving any form of compensation in return. Emotionally, this population has been neglected by both the state and family members, exacerbating distress levels among them. The objective is to analyze the impact of emotional coping strategies on the experiences of distress and emotional burden among adult informal caregivers tending to hospitalized individuals.

Sample and Methods

The role of emotional coping strategies in caregiver burden and psychological distress was examined in 460 informal adult caregivers from Guayaquil, Ecuador, who participated in an online survey. The instruments used included the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS 21), the Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI), and the Emotional Coping Questionnaire (Cuestionario de Afrontamiento Emocional). The analysis involved a multiple regression to iteratively select variables, aiming to build a simpler and more explanatory model.

Results

Employing multiple regression analysis with a stepwise model selection procedure, it was found that 16.5% of the variance in depression, 19.5% of the variance in anxiety, 19.8% of the variance in stress, and 32% of the variance in burden were predicted by specific coping strategies. Additionally, the impact of burden was estimated by the participants’ gender, with greater burden observed among males due to societal role expectations.

Conclusion

This study underscores the importance of emotional coping in the experience of informal caregivers and suggests that psychological interventions should focus on developing adaptive strategies to manage the stress and emotional burden associated with caregiving.

Keywords:

• anxiety
• depression
• stress
• emotion regulation
• emotional overload
• cognitive emotion regulation

Data Sharing Statement

The data that support the article can be found through directly asking the corresponding author by e-mail.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Regarding compliance with ethical regulations, in this study, all procedures were implemented in accordance with the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. In addition, the study had the approval of the Directorate of Research of Ecotec University. The Directorate reviewed the study protocol and found that it met the ethical standards for human research.

Author Contributions

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

All authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded by Ecotec University through the research project “Strategies for emotional self-care”. The main objective of the project is to design models for the strengthening of psychological well-being through the use of validated coping strategies in vulnerable population of Guayaquil, as a response to the problems that have become visible as a result of the consequences of covid.