Caregiver Burden in Chronic Diseases: Role of Perceived Social Support and Duration of Care in Arthritis and Diabetes

Objective: To assess the relationship between caregiver burden and perceived social support, and caregiver burden and caregiving duration of arthritis and diabetes, and to analyze gender differences. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Fatima Memorial Hospital, Combined Military Hospital Lahore, Pakistan, from Feb to Mar 2024 Methodology: The study comprised 388 caregivers of individuals with arthritis and diabetes. The data were distributed into four equal groups (n=97, 25% each): male caregivers of diabetes patients, female caregivers of diabetes patients, male caregivers of arthritis patients, and female caregivers of arthritis patients. Voluntary consenting caregivers partook in filling out the ZBI-22 and MSPSS questionnaires measuring caregiving burden. Results: Out of 388 caregivers of arthritis and diabetes patients, a small negative correlation between caregiving burden and perceived social support (r=0.27, p0.05). The caregiving burden was higher for arthritis caregivers (Mean±SD 30.74 ±14.831) and female caregivers(Mean±SD= 29.20 ±14.91), while perceived social support was higher for diabetes (Mean±SD= 62.09±14.482) and female caregivers (Mean±SD= 61.92±14.42). Caregiving duration was higher for diabetes (Mean±SD= 4.48±1.87) and male caregivers (Mean±SD= 4.37 ± 1.88). Conclusion: The study, conducted in Lahore, Pakistan, emphasizes the importance of disease-specific factors in caregiving, finding that greater perceived social support reduces caregiving burden, while caregiving duration has little effect. Caregivers of arthritis and female caregivers reported a higher burden than caregivers of diabetes and male caregivers. The study calls for comprehensive support systems and policies to assist caregivers.