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Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Abstract

Background: Palliative care service undoubtedly aims at quality of life of both the patients and their family members. Caring for the ill can bring about mental burden to the caregivers; but this is understudied in Thai literature. Objective: This study aimed to explore the anxiety state and associated factors in caregivers of palliative patients, particularly in urban setting as Bangkok. Methods: We recruited 93 caregivers of inpatients consulted to the Palliative Care Unit of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. The instruments used include Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) - Thai version and The State - Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Form). Multiple linear Regression Analysis was used to examine the associated factors of anxiety among family caregivers. Results: Multiple regression analysis found that caregiver’s age (P = 0.04), caregiver’s relationship to the patient (P = 0.01), and caregiver’s STAI trait score (P = 0.1 ) had significant association with the caregiver’s STAI state score, with effect size (f2) of 0.04 (small), 0.03 (small), and 0.21 (medium), respectively. In subgroup analysis of relative – only family caregiver, multivariate analysis found the following factors caregiver’s age (P = 0.02), caregiver’s STAI trait score (P = 0.0), patient’s gender (P = 0.046) reached significant association with the caregiver’s STAI state score. Conclusion: Certain demographic factors (caregiver’s age, degree of relation, and trait anxiety) associated with caregiver’s anxiety. However, ESAS, the rating for perceived symptom severity, did not show significant association.

Publisher

Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University

DOI

10.14456/clmj.2021.38

First Page

289

Last Page

296

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