Prevalence and determinants of stress of informal caregiving: A cross-sectional study among informal caregivers of hospitalised patients in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Caring for patients in the hospital can cause a lot of stress for the caregivers, especially those who are involved with informal caregiving such as family members. Little is known in Nigeria on the stress of informal caregiving in the hospital environment. This study assessed the informal caregivers' stress level and their determinants in a tertiary hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study. Between September and October 2019, using a simple random sampling method, data were collected from 400 informal caregivers of patients in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital with interviewer-administered questionnaire which included socio-demographic characteristics, Caregivers Strain index (CSI) and caregivers' stress from institution and other factors index (CSIOI). Analysis was performed, and prevalence and determinants of stress of informal caregiving were presented using descriptive statistics and logistic regressions. P 30 days (OR - 2.6, P = 0.001). Conclusion: The informal caregivers experienced a great level of stress taking care of their patients on admission in the hospital. It is, therefore, expedient that issues surrounding the comfort of the informal caregivers as they care for their patients should be included in hospital policies.

Keywords

• caregivers
• hospitalised patients
• informal caregiving
• stress