Burden and professional quality of life of caregivers: The clinical role of suppression and resilience

Background: the caregiver’s role is fundamental in the context of healthcare and the well-being of caregivers is often undermined by traumatic experiences and suffering. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship among the caregiver’s resilience, burden, suppressive mechanisms and professional quality of life. Goals and methods: Participants were 665 caregivers, 458 women and 207 men aged between 18 and 81 years old. In order to highlight the above-mentioned relationship, caregivers were asked to complete a Suppression Mental Questionnaire (SMQ), a Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) self-report, a Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and a Professional Quality of Life Measure (ProQOL-5). A correlation and linear regression analysis was thus performed on the results obtained. Results: The Suppression Mental factors were positively correlated with both Resilience and Burden, with the exception of Regression in the Service of the Ego. Resilience was also positively correlated with Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout but negatively correlated with Compassion Satisfaction. Both significant correlations and linear regressions emerged in terms of the relationship between caregiver’s variables and total scores. Conclusions: Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress can affect the caregiver’s well-being, so that resilience and suppressive mechanisms are fundamental. These components should be considered with a particular reference to the current health emergency.