Perceived stress and social support in informal caregivers of the elderly

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14482/sun.39.02.932.489

Keywords:

Emotional stress, social support, caregivers, elderly

Abstract

Objective: Prediction of perceived stress in relation to perceived social support in IC of PAM.

Methods: Cross-sectional correlational predictive study conducted in second and third level hospitals in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. A total of 150 IC participated in the period December 2021-March 2022 with non-probabilistic intentional sampling, applying the instruments to obtain information that was analyzed with descriptive statistics and inferential statistical analysis.

Results: The age of the IC is M=51.7 years, 74.7% are women, mean years of schooling is 10.93, they are employed (50.6%), married/free union (66.7%), daughter of the PAM (46%), they have a mean of 32.13 months of care, M=13 hours a day and M=4 days a week, 80.7% have help for care. The PAM have an average age of 72 years old, 64.7% are women and 66.7% have a chronic disease. The IC have a medium level of perceived social support (43.3%) and a medium level of stress (87.3%). The correlation shows that the lower the social support the higher the stress (r=-0.485, p<0.001). The level of perceived social support predicted the level of perceived stress by 21.4%.

Conclusion: Social support plays an important role both in patients who present stress as it has the effect of increasing emotional well-being, stability and control that impacts both their health and the performance of care as it decreases the likelihood of negative effects that the caregiver may present.

Keywords: Emotional stress; social support; caregivers; elderly.

Author Biographies

Claudia Veronica Lara Vasquez, Universidad Autonoma de Coahuila, México

Licenciada en Enfermería por la Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila (México).

veronica_lara@uadec.edu.mx. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0226-6219.

Josué Arturo Medina Fernández, Universidad de Quintana Roo, México

Maestro en Enfermería por la Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Quintana Roo (México). josuemedinafernandez@outlook.es. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0588-9382

Luis Carlos Cortez Gonzales, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, México

Doctor en Ciencias de Enfermería por la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (México). Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila (México). lucortezg@uadec.edu.mx. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1655-0272.

Diana Berenice Cortes Montelongo, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, México

Doctora en Ciencias de Enfermería por la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (México). Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila (México). dicortesm@uadec.edu.mx. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1655-0272.

Ana Laura Carrillo Cervantes, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, México

Doctora en Ciencias de Enfermería por la Universidad Autónoma de Guanajuato (México). Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila (México). anacarrillo@uadec.edu.mx. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2920-467.

Published

2023-09-18

How to Cite

Lara Vasquez, C. V., Medina Fernández, J. A., Cortez Gonzales, L. C. ., Cortes Montelongo, D. B. ., & Carrillo Cervantes, A. L. . (2023). Perceived stress and social support in informal caregivers of the elderly. Salud Uninorte, 39(2), 601–616. https://doi.org/10.14482/sun.39.02.932.489

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Original Article

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