Caregiver Burden as a Predictor of Psychological Distress and Cognitive Fatigue Among Caregivers of Patients with Non-Communicable Diseases

Abstract

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have long-term health consequences and frequently need ongoing care and treatment which increases the demand for informal caregivers for those patients, offering both emotional and practical assistance, and due to this increasing burden, caregivers often experience a higher level of stress, impacting their psychological health and cognitive functions. This study aims to assess how the burden of caregiving affects psychological health and cognitive functions among caregivers of NCD patients. The study is based on Stress Process Model (Pearlin et al.,1990) and Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988). Data will be utilized from a purposive sample of 200 caregivers (100 males and 100 females), caring for at least six months, through a cross-sectional survey design. For the assessment, the standardized tools used are Zarit Burden Interview – 12, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale – K10, and Mental Fatigue Scale. For the analysis, IBM SPSS27 used. The study indicated that among caregivers of patients with NCDs, caregiver burden is a robust predictor of both psychological distress and cognitive fatigue. Also, females experienced more psychological distress in response to caregiver burden as compared to males.