Caregivers’ burdens of Thalassemic Patients in Ranya city: A Cross Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32792/jmed.2025.29.18Keywords:
Thalassemia, caregivers’ burdens, physical burdens, psychosocial burdensAbstract
Thalassemia, a prevalent autosomal recessive disorder in Iraq with anincidence of 35.7 per 100,000. Affected individuals rely heavily on
family caregivers for medical management and psychosocial support,
which often results in significant caregiver emotional, mental, physical,
and economic burden. This study aimed to identify the types of family
caregivers’ burdens of thalassemia patients and to find out the association
between types of burden and among caregivers’ and some
sociodemographic characteristics. A cross-sectional study was conducted
in thalassemia and hemophilia center in Rania City. from September 22,
2024 to the end of April, 2025. This study employed a census approach,
including all thalassemia clients' caregivers who were directly involved
in patient care, which was 65 caregivers who have been providing care
for thalassemia patient. The data were collected using a constructed
questionnaire based on a review of relevant literature and standardized
psychological assessment tools. A total of 65 caregivers, all of them were
patients mainly (67.7%) were mothers. The overall caregiver burden for
physical and financial problems was high and moderate burdens for
psychosocial health problems. The study also showed an association
between caregivers' socioeconomic factors (lower education, lower
income, and specific marital statuses) and physical and financial burdens.
Caregivers of thalassemia patients experience significant physical and
financial hardships, as well as moderately impacted psychological and social aspects. The Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) should subsidize thalassemia treatments and partner with NGOs to ease the financial
burden. The Ranya Center needs integrated mental health services and peer support groups.
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