Occupational balance and caregiver burden among caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injuries.

Objectives: To investigate the occupational balance, caregiver burden, and factors affecting them in caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injuries in Iran.

Design: A cross-sectional study with multiple linear regression analyses to specify factors related to occupational balance and caregiver burden.

Settings: Community-dwelling individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Participants: A convenience sample of 84 individuals with SCI.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Measures: The Occupational Balance Questionnaire-11, Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used to assess the occupational balance, caregiver burden, and stress/anxiety levels of the caregivers, respectively. Functional independence, anxiety/depression levels, and the participants' ability for self-management were evaluated using the Barthel index, HADS, Partners In Health (PIH), and Patient Activation Measure (PAM), respectively.

Results: There was a positive and significant correlation between the self-management skills of the participants and their independence in daily activities with their caregivers' occupational balance. A negative and significant correlation was found between the individuals' self-management skills and their independence in daily activities with caregiver burden. In addition, a significant correlation existed between the anxiety and depression of the participants and their caregivers with occupational balance and caregiver burden. Finally, there was a negative and significant correlation between occupational balance and caregiver burden (P ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that factors such as participants' self-management skills, their independence in daily activities, and the level of anxiety and depression in participants and caregivers affect the occupational balance and burden experienced by caregivers of individuals with SCIs.