ABSTRACT
The caregiver burden is frequently used to refer to the physical and psychological problems that may arise from caring for a dependent relative. We conducted a meta-analysis to see whether Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) scores differed by dependent’s pathology. Results from 125 studies showed that caregivers of individuals with a physical disability have an estimated mean ZBI score (±SE) of 27 ± 2.6 – a score significantly lower than for caregivers of persons with dementia or cognitive impairment (34.1 ± 1.1), mental illness (32.6 ± 1.7), or Alzheimer’s (32.5 ± 1). Our analysis of Alzheimer’s revealed differences among cases of mildly (25.8 ± 5.2), moderately (35.6 ± 7.8), and severely (42.6 ± 7.9) afflicted dependents.
Acknowledgments
For statistical support we are grateful to María P. Pata from the Biostatech, Advice, Training & Innovation of Biostatistics, S.L.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Supplementary material
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