Effects of anxiety and depression among primary caregivers of stroke patients in social support and burnout

Objective  To investigate the mediating role of anxiety and depression in social support and burnout among primary caregivers of stroke patients.

Methods  A convenience sampling method was employed to select 506 primary caregivers of stroke patients as research subjects. The General Information Questionnaire, Caregiver Burnout Inventory for Stroke Patients, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used for data collection.

Results  The total scores for caregiver burnout, social support, anxiety, and depression among primarycaregivers of stroke patients were (72.83±14.32), (47.79±7.74), (10.49±3.00), and (10.45±3.06), respectively. Correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between caregiver burnout and social support (r=-0.245, P < 0.001), and positive correlations with anxiety and depression (r=0.178, 0.216, P < 0.001). Anxiety and depression partially mediated the relationship between social support and caregiver burnout, accounting for 7.9% and 10.7% of the total effect, respectively.

Conclusion  Social support, anxiety, depression, and burnout are closely interrelated. Social support can directly or indirectly influence the occurrence of burnoutthrough anxiety and depression. Medical staff should pay attention to the anxiety and depression status of primary caregivers of stroke patients and enhance social support levels to reduce the incidence of burnout by alleviating anxiety and depression.