The role of caregivers' self-compassion in care recipients' depression and malnutrition: a cross-sectional study.

IF 3.8 2区医学 Q2 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

BMC Geriatrics Pub Date : 2025-09-29 DOI:10.1186/s12877-025-06413-7

Cigdem Bozkir, Cigdem Tekin, Tugce Kartal

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Social isolation among older adults receiving home care may adversely affect their psychological and nutritional status. As care recipients are externally dependent, their health outcomes should not be evaluated independently of caregivers. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between caregivers' self-compassion and the nutritional and depression status of care recipients.

Methods: A total of 382 elderly individuals (aged ≥65 years) receiving home care and their primary caregivers in Malatya, Türkiye, were included. Data were collected through structured interviews using validated Turkish versions of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF), and Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). Independent and dependent variables included caregivers' SCS scores and care recipients' GDS-SF and MNA-SF scores, respectively. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regressions to control for confounders.

Results: Caregivers had a mean SCS score of 16.79±2.11. Care recipients had a mean GDS-SF score of 7.30±3.16, with 49.2% experiencing mild depression, and a mean MNA-SF score of 9.52±2.70, with 58.4% at risk of malnutrition. SCS scores were positively correlated with MNA-SF (r = 0.241, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with GDS-SF (r = -0.147, p < 0.01). In multiple regression models, caregiver self-compassion significantly predicted better nutritional outcomes (β = 0.175, p < 0.001) but not depression outcomes (β = -0.068, p = 0.172) in care recipients.

Conclusions: Higher self-compassion in caregivers is associated with improved nutritional status in elderly care recipients. Supporting caregivers' psychological resilience could enhance home care outcomes.

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照顾者自我同情在照顾者抑郁和营养不良中的作用：一项横断面研究。

背景：接受家庭护理的老年人的社会孤立可能对他们的心理和营养状况产生不利影响。由于受照护者是外部依赖的，因此不应独立于照护者来评估他们的健康结果。本研究旨在探讨照顾者自我同情与被照顾者营养状况及抑郁状况的关系。方法：共纳入382名接受家庭护理的老年人（年龄≥65岁）及其主要照顾者。数据通过结构化访谈收集，使用经过验证的土耳其版自我同情量表（SCS）、老年抑郁量表短表（GDS-SF）和迷你营养评估短表（MNA-SF）。自变量和因变量分别包括照顾者的SCS评分和照顾者的GDS-SF和MNA-SF评分。分析包括描述性统计、Pearson相关性和多元线性回归来控制混杂因素。结果：护理者的平均SCS评分为16.79±2.11。平均GDS-SF评分为7.30±3.16，其中49.2%患有轻度抑郁；平均MNA-SF评分为9.52±2.70，其中58.4%有营养不良风险。SCS评分与MNA-SF呈正相关（r = 0.241, p < 0.01），与GDS-SF呈负相关（r = -0.147, p < 0.01）。在多元回归模型中，照顾者自我同情显著预测被照顾者更好的营养结局（β = 0.175, p < 0.001），但不预测抑郁结局（β = -0.068, p = 0.172）。结论：照顾者自我同情的提高与老年受照顾者营养状况的改善有关。支持照顾者的心理弹性可以提高家庭护理的效果。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

BMC Geriatrics GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY-

CiteScore

5.70

自引率

7.30%

发文量

873

审稿时长

20 weeks

期刊介绍： BMC Geriatrics is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in all aspects of the health and healthcare of older people, including the effects of healthcare systems and policies. The journal also welcomes research focused on the aging process, including cellular, genetic, and physiological processes and cognitive modifications.