Exploration of empathy in Cyprus nursing and health care students: A mixed method study.

Developing professionals who are perceptive to the needs of patients and can respond by expressing empathetic behavior is one of the aims of health care education. The aim of this study was to explore the level of empathy in health care students through a mixed method. The quantitative approach included the use of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and the qualitative a focus group approach to further deepen into the descriptive results. 869 health care students (RR=81%) participated in the study and the level of empathy ranged from 42 to 139 with a mean score of 100.6 (20-140 scale). Significant statistical differences were found between the disciplines (F=8.6, p-value<0.001) and gender (p-value<0.001) with nursing students and women scoring the higher levels. Two focus groups of ten participants each were conducted with 3rd and 4th year nursing students. Four themes were derived from the analysis of these data a) empathy as an imperative component of care b) contact with the clinical reality c) the influence of family and choice of studies d) gender stereotypes. There is a lack of mixed methodologies in the empathy research and this study provided the opportunity of a better understanding of the health care students' views.

The burdensome and depressive experience of caring: what cancer, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease caregivers have in common.

BACKGROUND: Family members of patients with chronic illnesses experience distress as a result of caregiving roles, which can be manifested as burden and depression, but cross-disease studies on how caring is experienced are limited. OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to examine the burden and psychiatric morbidity in the form of depression experienced by Cypriot families caring for a relative with one of the following: cancer, Alzheimer's disease, or schizophrenia. METHODS: This study was cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational. A total of 410 caregivers were recruited from the community. The research instruments included the Greek version of the Burden Interview and the Center of Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale. Descriptive statistics, 1-way analysis of variance, and post hoc Tukey pairwise comparisons were used to examine significant differences between the 3 groups. RESULTS: The results indicate a high level of burden and depression among all caregivers. Significant differences (P < .001, F = 26.11) between the 3 caregiving groups were detected in terms of burden, with the highest reported for Alzheimer's disease caregivers. One-way analysis of variance showed significant differences (P = .008, F = 4.85) between the 3 caregiving groups in terms of depression, with the highest depression levels being for cancer caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings increase our understanding about burden and emotional well-being in family caring for relatives with cancer and other chronic illnesses. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings may be useful for health professionals to plan intervention strategies focusing on each domain of burden. The lessons learned from the caregiving role of family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia can be used to improve the caregiving process of patients with cancer.

Caring and coping: the dementia caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: Caring for a family member with Alzheimer's disease is associated with increased burden and depression. Effective coping with the hardships and demands of caring may help to sustain the caregiver and lessen the effect of the stressors. The objective of this study was to examine caregivers' coping styles and the relationship with reported levels of burden and depression. METHOD: A cross-sectional correlation study was employed. One hundred and seventy-two caregivers of patients suffering from Alzheimer's type dementia participated in the study. All patients were recruited from neurology clinics. The Greek versions of four measuring instruments used were: the Memory and Behaviour Problem Checklist, the Burden Interview, the Centre for Epidemiological studies-Depression scale and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. RESULTS: Positive coping is negatively correlated with burden (r = -0.20) and wishful thinking strategies were related positively (r = 0.16). The relation between depression and positive coping strategies is highly significant (p < 0.01), whereas for burden the relation is significant (p < 0.05). Regression analyses showed that positive coping strategies are the most powerful, both in terms of predicting depression levels, and also in terms of moderating the effect of burden on depression. CONCLUSION: Positive coping approaches need to be developed by caregivers so as to continue their caring role.

The cost of caring: the relative with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the burden and emotional well-being experienced by Cypriot families caring for a member suffering from schizophrenia. Psychiatric reforms and the shifting of care from the formal sector to the informal care provided in the community resulted in additional responsibilities and tasks undertaken by the families. There is a substantial body of literature on the profound impacts of caring on family caregivers of individuals suffering from schizophrenia, but little is known about the level of burden and how it correlates with other characteristics. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. A total of 113 caregivers were recruited from three regional psychiatric outpatient clinics in Cyprus. They were asked to complete a set of well-validated instruments measuring family burden and a socio-demographic data sheet. Analyses include descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses to identify the predictors of family burden. RESULTS: The findings support high level of burden among family caregivers. Forty-three percentage of the participants scored above 24/42 in the Family burden scale. Logistic regression identified three independent variables to predict the presence of subjective caregiver burden: Patient's mental condition in the previous 3 months (p = 0.011), patient's gender (p = 0.028) and caregiver's educational level (p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: The findings increase our understanding about the variables influencing burden and emotional well-being in schizophrenia caring. They have great clinical importance in health care because they help health professionals to plan intervention strategies focusing on each domain of burden.