Salud familiar y psicológica del cuidador primario de adultos mayores dependientes

Introduction: Knowledge of the socio-familiar influences on caregivers of the elderly is necessary to help establish the degree of family functionality and the psychological pattern (alterations) of the caregiver. Objective: To determine the family and psychological health of the primary caregiver of the elderly in the Community of San Vicente, Centro del Cantón Quero, Tungurahua province, Ecuador, in the year 2020. Method: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in the 31 primary caregivers of the elderly who met the inclusion criteria, living in the aforementioned community. The instruments applied were: family APGAR questionnaire, Goldberg test, semi-structured interview with sociodemographic data, psychological disorders of the caregiver and the Zarit scale. Variables such as anxiety, depression, overload and family functionality were studied. The collected data were entered into an Excel database for analysis in the SPSS 25.0 statistical package. Results: 83.9% of the caregivers had anxiety, 87.1% had depression, 35.5% were overburdened by care and 41.9% had intense overload. It was found that 54.8% of the families were dysfunctional while 16.2% were severe dysfunctional. Conclusions: The majority of primary caregivers have severe family dysfunction, with high levels of anxiety and depression, and intense overload. When family functionality is altered, the primary caregiver of the elderly gets exhausted, with intense overload and states of anxiety and depression being one of the most marked psychological manifestations. Introdução: O conhecimento das influências sociofamiliares sobre os cuidadores de idosos é necessário para ajudar a estabelecer o grau de funcionalidade da família e o padrão psicológico (alterações) do cuidador. Objetivo: Determinar a saúde familiar e psicológica do cuidador principal de idosos da Comunidade de San Vicente, Centro del Cantón Quero, província de Tungurahua, Equador em 2020. Método: Estudo descritivo e transversal realizado no 31 cuidadores primários de idosos da comunidade citada, que atenderam aos critérios de inclusão. Os instrumentos foram aplicados: questionário APGAR familiar, teste de Goldberg, entrevista semiestruturada com dados sociodemográficos, transtornos psicológicos do cuidador e escala de Zarit. Variáveis como ansiedade, depressão, sobrecarga e funcionalidade familiar foram estudadas. Os dados coletados foram inseridos em banco de dados Excel para análise no pacote estatístico SPSS 25.0.