Mediating effects of mental vulnerability and social support on family caring degree and self-perceived burden in elderly patients with chronic disease comorbidities
FAN Yingzhu
YANG Ying
Abstract：Objective: To investigate the current status of self-perceived burden in elderly patients with chronic multimorbidity, and to analyze the effects of family caregiving, social support, and psychological vulnerability on self-perceived burden. Methods: A convenience sampling method was used to select elderly patients with chronic multimorbidity hospitalized at two branches of a tertiary A hospital in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, from March to July 2023. The patients were surveyed using the Family Caregiving Scale, Social Support Rating Scale, Psychological Vulnerability Scale, and Self-Perceived Burden Scale. Path analysis was conducted through a structural equation model. Results: The total score of self-perceived burden was (35.77±6.07). Correlation analysis showed that family caregiving and social support were negatively correlated with self-perceived burden (P<0.001), while psychological vulnerability was positively correlated with self-perceived burden (P<0.001). Path analysis of the structural equation model showed that the total effect of family caregiving on self-perceived burden in elderly patients with chronic multimorbidity was -0.980, with a direct effect of -0.720 and an indirect effect of -0.260. The mediating effect accounted for 26.53% of the total effect. Conclusion: The self-perceived burden of elderly patients with chronic multimorbidity is at a moderate level, and it is influenced by multiple pathways. This suggests that medical staff should develop nursing measures from multiple perspectives and aspects to reduce the adverse effects caused by self-perceived burden.
Keywords：the elderlychronic diseasescomorbidityfamily caring degreesocial supportmental vulnerabilityself-perceived burdenmediating effectnursing
Publication Date：2025-01-29
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 272-276 )