Ansiedad, depresión, soledad y adopción del rol del cuidador de la persona en cuidado paliativo

Family caregivers of people in palliative care (PC) are continually exposed to high demands for care and situations of distress, which can affect their adoption of the role, causing anxiety, depression, and a perception of loneliness. Aim: To describe and correlate anxiety, depression, loneliness, and role adoption in a sample of caregivers of people in PC in Bogotá, Colombia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in the first half of 2021 with a sample of 220 main family caregivers of people in PC. The ROL, HADS, and UCLA instruments were used to measure role-taking, anxiety, depression, and loneliness, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficients and linear regression models were used to analyze the relationship between the variables. Results: 75░% of people in PC had cancer, 63.2░% with a Karnofsky index of 30 and a mean age of 69.4 years. 81.8░% of the caregivers were women, with an average age of 47.7 years. 85.5░% cared for the person from the moment of diagnosis, with an average dedication of 20 hours of care per day. In addition, 34.2░% self-reported illness. Caregivers who had lower role adoption scores tended to have higher levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness (p░<░0.05). Conclusion: Interventions in transitional care of the family caregiver of the person in PC are required given their greater risk of presenting loneliness, anxiety, and depression, which promote a satisfactory adoption of the role and thus improve their results.