Determining the level of anxiety among people caring for severely ill family members in the long-term
Information for nursing staff, 2025, 57(1), 3-9.
G. Markova2, M. Ilieva1, R. Dinolova3, E. Dimitrova1 Tsv. Petkova1
1 Nursing, Department of Therapeutic Nursing Care, Faculty of Health Care, Medical University – Pleven
2 Department of Surgical Nursing Care, Faculty of Health Care, Medical University – Pleven
3 Directorate of Mental Health and Addiction Prevention, National Center of Public Health and Analyses – Sofia
Abstract. According to statistical data, 8% of the population of Europe are permanently disabled. Caring for disabled people puts caregivers in a difficult situation in terms of social contacts due to their obligation to care for seriously ill individuals on a daily basis. In cases of personal needs, caregivers often feel guilty, deprive themselves of personal time, neglect their personal needs, etc. The aim of the study is to determine the level of anxiety in persons caring for seriously ill family members for a long time. Material and Methods: An anonymous survey was conducted with 28 long-term family careers using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) self-report questionnaire for determining intense anxiety and depressive states. The available literature on the problem was studied. The obtained data were processed with program products MS Office Excel, SPSS Statistics version 21. Results and Discussion: The survey was conducted in the city of Pleven in the period February-April 2024. A very large part of the respondents has been taking care of their loved ones for more than 2 years 22 (78.6%), and 4 (14.3%) had to leave their jobs. When performing a self-assessment to determine the level of anxiety, it was found that 6 of the respondents have a low level of anxiety, 5 – medium level, and 3 – severe level, as the rest 14 (50%) are within the norm. In conclusion, it can be stated that half of the participants in the study have signs of anxiety, and measures should be taken to improve their condition.
Key words: anxiety level, caregivers, seriously ill