Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the compassion and depression levels of primary caregivers of individuals with chronic disease and the relationship between these two states. Material and Methods: The cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted with 389 caregivers between November 2019 and January 2020. The data were collected using 'Descriptive Characteristics Form', 'Compassion Scale' and 'Beck Depression Scale'. Mann-Whitney U, KruskalWallis and Spearman correlation tests were used to evaluate the data. Results: It was determined that 47.8% of the caregivers were between the ages of 34-49, 88.2% were women, 93.8% were married, 84.6% were have children, 39.6% were high school graduates, 65% were not working (19% were left the job to give care), 56% of them were equal to their expenses and 50.6% of them were the spouses of the patient who received care. At the same time, it was determined that 79.2% of the caregivers did not have previous care experience, 65.8% were not supported financially/morally while providing care, 73% did not change their role/relationship status. It was determined that the compassion levels of the caregivers were moderate and almost all of them had moderate to severe depression. A significant negative correlation was found between compassion and depression level. Conclusion: This study is one of the few studies that determine the level of compassion in caregivers and examine its relationship with depression. It was concluded that the level of depression decreased with the increase in the level of compassion. For this reason, it is thought that measuring the compassion levels of caregivers and supporting individuals with compassion training programs are important for quality care.
Keywords: Caregiver; chronic disease; compassion; depression
Amaç: Bu araştırma, kronik hastalıklara sahip bireylerin primer bakım vericilerinin merhamet ve depresyon düzeylerini ve 2 durum arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Kesitsel ve tanımlayıcı tipteki araştırma, Kasım 2019-Ocak 2020 tarihleri arasında 389 bakım verici ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Verilerin toplanması için 'Tanıtıcı Bilgi Formu', 'Merhamet Ölçeği' ve 'Beck Depresyon Ölçeği' kullanılmıştır. Verilerin değerlendirilmesinde Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis ve Spearman korelasyon testinden yararlanılmıştır. Bulgular: Bakım verenlerin %47,8'inin 34-49 yaş aralığında, %88,2'sinin kadın, %93,8'inin evli, %84,6'sının çocuk sahibi olduğu, %39,6'sının lise mezunu, %65'inin çalışmadığı (%19'unun bakım verebilmek için işten ayrıldığı), %56'sının gelirlerinin giderlerine denk olduğu, %50,6'sının bakım verilen hastanın eşi olduğu belirlenmiştir. Aynı zamanda bakım vericilerin %79,2'sinin daha önce bakım deneyiminin olmadığı, %65,8'inin bakım verirken maddi/manevi olarak desteklenmediği, %73'ünün rol/ilişki durumlarında herhangi bir değişme olmadığı saptanmıştır. Bakım verenlerin merhamet düzeylerinin ise orta düzeyde olduğu ve tamamına yakınının orta-şiddetli düzeyde depresyon yaşadığı belirlenmiştir. Merhamet düzeyi ve depresyon arasında ise negatif yönlü anlamlı bir ilişki saptanmıştır. Sonuç: Bu çalışma, bakım veren bireyler üzerinde merhamet düzeyini belirleyen ve depresyonla ilişkisini inceleyen az sayıda çalışmadan biridir. Çalışmadan elde edilen bulgular doğrultusunda, merhamet düzeyinin artması ile depresyon düzeyinin azaldığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Bakım verenlerin merhamet düzeylerinde artışın sağlanmasıyla depresyon yaşama riski azaltılabilir. Bu nedenle bakım veren bireylerin merhamet düzeylerinin ölçülmesi, düşük merhamet düzeyine sahip bireylerin merhamet eğitimi programları ile desteklenmesinin kaliteli bakım için önemli olduğu düşünülmektedir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Bakım verici; kronik hastalık; merhamet; depresyon
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