ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology
Factors affecting caregiver burden in families of critically ill obstetric patients admitted to intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital-A questionnaire based prospective cross-sectional observational study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Obstetrics, Nantong First People's Hospital, Nantong, China
- 2Department of Intensive Care Unit, Nantong First People's Hospital, Nantong, China
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Aim: Family caregivers play a crucial role in the care of critically ill obstetric patients, yet their burden often goes unrecognized and unsupported. Despite the growing recognition of the importance of family caregivers in healthcare, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding the specific burden they face and the factors influencing it. This study aimed to analyze the current situation of family caregivers’ burden for critically ill obstetric patients and identify the related influencing factors. Methods: This study was conducted in a hospital setting, employing a cross-sectional design. A total of 150 family caregivers of critically ill obstetric patients who received treatment between January 2023 and December 2024 were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI) to assess the burden of care and a self-designed general information questionnaire to gather demographic and relevant information. The primary outcome measure was the ZBI score, reflecting the level of burden experienced by family caregivers. Results: The mean ZBI score of the family caregivers was 45.15±6.23 points, indicating a substantial burden of care. Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that the length of stay for the patient in the hospital, as well as the age, education degree, family monthly income, social support level, and psychological resilience of family caregivers, were significantly associated with the burden of care (P<0.05). Furthermore, Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated significant relationships between caregiver burden and the social support received by the family, as well as the psychological resilience of the family caregivers (r=-0.366, P<0.001 and r=-0.307, P=0.000). Conclusion: This study highlights the considerable burden faced by family caregivers of critically ill obstetric patients and identifies several key factors influencing this burden. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to support family caregivers, particularly those with lower social support and psychological resilience, to alleviate their burden and improve their well-being.
Keywords: Critically ill obstetric patients, family caregivers, caregiver burden, Influencing factors, Multivariate linear regression analysis
Received: 16 Sep 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Guo, Jiang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yaqiong Jiang
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