Investigating the moderating role of resilience on the relationship between perceived stress and caring burden in family caregivers of COVID-19 patients

With its widespread prevalence, COVID-19 has not only disrupted patients’ lives but has also affected family caregivers. This study intends to determine the moderating role of resilience and its relationship with perceived stress and caring burden in family caregivers of COVID-19 patients in the 22nd Bahman Hospital of Khaf, eastern Iran.

This is a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study. The sample comprised 210 family caregivers of COVID-19 patients, who were selected by the census method. The questionnaires of perceived stress, caring burden, and resilience were employed for data collection. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS-16 software using an independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and regression.

The results revealed a significantly positive relationship between perceived stress and caring burden (p <0.001). There was a significantly negative association between resilience and caring burden (p <0.001). Besides, the interaction effect of perceived stress and resilience on the burden of care was positive and significant (p = 0.05).

Considering the significant role of family caregivers of COVID-19 patients in maintaining and promoting the health of the patients, holding resilience-focused counseling training for all family caregivers of COVID-19 patients, with the aim of reducing stress and caring burden, can be a strategy to be employed by policymakers, managers, and health planners.