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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1474967

Caregiving Burden, Social Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Family Caregivers of Older Italians: A Cross-Sectional Study

Provisionally accepted
Ramona Bongelli Ramona Bongelli 1*Gianluca Busilacchi Gianluca Busilacchi 1Antonio Pacifico Antonio Pacifico 1Michele Fabiani Michele Fabiani 1Carmela Guarascio Carmela Guarascio 1Federico Sofritti Federico Sofritti 1Giovanni Lamura Giovanni Lamura 2Sara Santini Sara Santini 2
  • 1 University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy
  • 2 Italian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA-IRCCS) (Ancona), Ancona, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: This study aimed to identify factors affecting the psychological well-being of family caregivers of dependent older adults in Italy. Understanding these variables is essential for designing interventions to prevent negative outcomes in at-risk caregivers. The research explored how varying levels of caregiving burden and types of perceived social support influence psychological well-being. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 387 family caregivers of older adults in the Marche region (Italy) between November 2019 and March 2020. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire assessing psychological well-being (WHO-5 Well-Being Index), caregiving burden, and social support (COPE Index). Statistical analyses were performed using Jamovi software, with a significance threshold set at p < 0.05. Results: A significant negative correlation was found between caregiving burden and psychological well-being (r(364) = - 0.540, p < .001), with caregiving burden being a significant predictor of psychological well-being reduction (R2 = 0.290; F = 150, p < .001). A threshold value of 2 (on a 1-4 scale) was identified, where caregiving burden predicted a significant reduction in psychological well-being. Conversely, greater perceived social support was positively correlated with better psychological well-being (r(357) = 0.348, p < .001) and was a significant predictor of it (R² = 0.121; F = 49.2, p < .001). Support from social and health services had the most notable impact on psychological well-being. Moreover, social support mitigated the negative impact of caregiving burden on psychological well-being. Conclusion: The study confirms that high caregiving burden adversely affects caregivers’ psychological well-being, while social support plays a protective role. These findings highlight the need for interventions focused on reducing caregiving burden and enhancing support systems for family caregivers.

    Keywords: Caregiving burden1, social support2, Psychological Well-being3, older people4, Central Italy5

    Received: 02 Aug 2024; Accepted: 11 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Bongelli, Busilacchi, Pacifico, Fabiani, Guarascio, Sofritti, Lamura and Santini. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ramona Bongelli, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy

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