Examining Emotional and Physical Burden in Informal Saudi Caregivers: Links to Quality of Life and Social Support

Caregiver burden is an important issue for individuals who tend to be chronically ill, disabled or elderly family members. This burden affects caregivers around the world and can have a negative impact on their physical and mental health, ultimately reducing their quality of life.

This study of informal adult caregivers in Saudi Arabia used a cross-sectional analytic design to explore the connections between caregiver burden, social support and quality of life. Data were collected using nonprobability convenience sampling through electronic questionnaires in Arabic. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI-12), the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3) and the SF-12 Health Survey (short form of 12 questions) were used to assess caregiver burden, social support and quality of life, respectively. The relationships between these variables were analysed, and the statistical significance of the findings was reported.

The study revealed a connection between caregiver burden and both social support and quality of life. Caregivers with moderate to high burdens often had poor social support (60.52%) and a lower quality of life (72.47%). A statistically significant negative correlation between caregiver burden and quality of life (p < 0.05) indicated that caregivers with a higher burden had a lower quality of life. Similarly, a statistically significant negative correlation was found between social support and caregiver burden (p < 0.05), suggesting that caregivers with more social support experienced a lower burden.

A higher caregiver burden is linked to a lower quality of life, especially when social support is inadequate. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to reduce caregiver burden by enhancing social support systems for caregivers and improving their quality of life. Recommendations include the development of community-based support programmes and policy changes to support informal caregivers.