Difficulties Fulfilling Self-Care Needs Among Family Caregivers: An Observational Study

Assuming the care of a family member with a disability or chronic illness constitutes a health risk factor for caregivers, who frequently overlook their own self-care.

To analyze the self-care activities (SCAs) among caregivers of a family member with a disability or chronic illness and assess the impact on their satisfaction and quality of life (QoL).

Descriptive, cross-sectional, analytic study.

Community.

Five hundred caregivers of family members with a disability or chronic illness in the city of Zaragoza, Spain.

The family caregivers' occupational performance and satisfaction were assessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, and their QoL was assessed with the World Health Organization-Quality of Life.

In total, 32.8% of family caregivers had difficulty in all activities related to self-care, 46.6% had difficulty sleeping and resting, 31.6% had difficulty receiving health-related treatments, and 31.2% had difficulty with physical exercise. Women and younger family caregivers showed greater impairment in self-care. Occupational performance, satisfaction, and QoL worsened as the number of affected activities increased.

Caring for a family member with a disability or chronic illness has a negative impact on the SCAs of caregivers, especially among female caregivers and those of younger age. Caregiving is also associated with lower occupational performance, satisfaction, and QoL. Plain-Language Summary: Caring for a family member with a disability or chronic illness can become a health risk for caregivers, who frequently ignore their own self-care. The study results found that women and younger family caregivers showed a greater decline in self-care. This study provides information to help occupational therapists to work with family caregivers to prevent a decline in their self-care and improve their quality of life.