Relação entre o nível de dependência de cuidados e a qualidade de vida do cuidador informal no contexto da Atenção Primária à Saúde

Abstract

The significant increase in care-dependent individuals has been significantly affecting family structure, its relations, and families' ability to deal with this situation. In this context, the figure of the informal caregiver stands out, an individual who is responsible for the continuous care of the dependent, even though he/she does not have specific training for it. Recognizing the scenario of transformations and knowing the importance of the role of the informal caregiver in the family and society, we considered necessary to deepen the knowledge about the impacts that informal care has on the life and health of the caregiver. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between level of care dependency and the quality of life (QoL) of the informal caregiver in the context of the primary health care. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional, conducted with a population of 139 caregivers of care-dependent individuals assigned to two Public Primary Health Units of Belo Horizonte - MG. Data collection was performed through home visits between October 2016 and August 2017. A questionnaire was used for socio-demographic characterization of the caregiver and dependent individual; the Barthel Index, instrument that defines the level of dependence; and the WHOQOL-bref to assess the QoL of the caregiver. The data was analyzed by the Stata software (version 13.1). Statistical analysis consisted of descriptive analysis including all variables in this study, bivariate analysis using parametric and non-parametric tests, and multivariate analysis using multiple linear regression. The bivariate and multivariate analyzes had QoL outcome in all their domains. RESULTS: There was a predominance of female caregivers, with a low level of education and income, without paid activity, dependents son/daughter, sedentary and with some non-communicable disease or injury. It should be noted, however, that few caregivers had taken a course to practice this activity. The WHOQOL-bref domain with the worst score was the Environment (62.6), while the Physical domain had the highest score (71.1). In the multivariate analysis, the level of dependence did not present a significant relation with QoL, but a strong relation was observed between variables related to the caregiver and his/her QoL, such as being carrier of a Non-Transmissible Disease or Injury, to use the public health service, to have taken a caregiver course, to take turns in caregiving with another person and to practice leisure activities. CONCLUSION: The care is carried out by individuals with great social and health vulnerability and without education for the provision of care. It was noticed that the characteristics of the caregiver are decisive factors in his/her QoL, showing the urgent need to take care of the caregivers.