Relation of burden and dysfunctional thoughts in informal caregivers of children with congenital heart diseases

Abstract

In the care process, casual care givers may present factors (care burden and dysfunctional thoughts) affecting their health, wellness and their role as a caregiver. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the perceived care burden and dysfunctional thoughts that report the informal caregivers of hospitalized children with congenital heart disease at a Highly Specialized IMMS Hospital. An intentional sample of 43 caregivers participated in this study, 95.3% were women with an average age of 38 years old and 44.2 % housewives. The Informal Primary Caregiver Health Survey, Zarit Burden Interview and Dysfunctional Thoughts Questionnaire were used. The results show a moderate burden level (25.6%) and the predominant factor in dysfunctional thoughts was delivery-isolation. A Spearman correlation showed a positive correlation between Burden and dysfunctional thoughts r=.449, p=0.003. It is concluded that Dysfunctional Thoughts about care influence the caregiver burden perception.