Difficulties Fulfilling Self-Care Needs Among Family Caregivers: An Observational Study.

IMPORTANCE: Assuming the care of a family member with a disability or chronic illness constitutes a health risk factor for caregivers, who frequently overlook their own self-care. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the self-care activities (SCAs) among caregivers of a family member with a disability or chronic illness and assess the impact on their satisfaction and quality of life (QoL). DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional, analytic study. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred caregivers of family members with a disability or chronic illness in the city of Zaragoza, Spain. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The family caregivers' occupational performance and satisfaction were assessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, and their QoL was assessed with the World Health Organization-Quality of Life. RESULTS: In total, 32.8% of family caregivers had difficulty in all activities related to self-care, 46.6% had difficulty sleeping and resting, 31.6% had difficulty receiving health-related treatments, and 31.2% had difficulty with physical exercise. Women and younger family caregivers showed greater impairment in self-care. Occupational performance, satisfaction, and QoL worsened as the number of affected activities increased. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Caring for a family member with a disability or chronic illness has a negative impact on the SCAs of caregivers, especially among female caregivers and those of younger age. Caregiving is also associated with lower occupational performance, satisfaction, and QoL. Plain-Language Summary: Caring for a family member with a disability or chronic illness can become a health risk for caregivers, who frequently ignore their own self-care. The study results found that women and younger family caregivers showed a greater decline in self-care. This study provides information to help occupational therapists to work with family caregivers to prevent a decline in their self-care and improve their quality of life.

Childhood Health Assets in a Spanish Neighborhood: Children and Families' Perception.

The health assets (HA; factors or resources that maintain or improves health) approach has hardly been incorporated in occupational therapy, and even less so in research focused on children's perception. The objective of this study was to provide context-specific empirical evidence regarding children and families' perception of childhood HA, paying special attention to the occupational dimension. We used a mixed methods design including qualitative research with 130 children using various techniques (brainstorming, focus groups, thematic drawing, and individual interview) and a descriptive study based on a questionnaire answered by 58 families. Most children related well-being to play occupations and belonging. We observed the influence of gender roles, ethnicity, and other socioeconomic factors in the identification and access to HA. We recommend delving into the relationship between the HA approach and occupational therapy, considering the children's perspective, interculturality, and gender perspectives.