Variables related to the informal caregivers' burden of dependent senior citizens in Spain

The study aims at analyzing the psychosocial variables associated with the informal caregivers' burden of dependent older people. A sample of 296 dependent people and their informal caregivers (n=153) was randomly selected among users and non-users of the Spanish public In-Home Help Service (HHS) in an autonomous Spanish region (Comunidad Valenciana). Diverse variables in reference to the care context and the caregiver as well as the care recipient show major associations with the burden: those associated to disease and the social situation of the dependent person, the greater frequency and intensity of care, and the low frequency in which the caregiver receives help from others. The obtained data makes possible to establish guidelines based on the psychological and educational interventions which relieve the informal caregivers' burden of dependent senior citizens, which must be combined with respite services, in order to promote the permanence of this population group in the community environment.