Primary Informal Caregivers of adults with chronic neurological diseases: Approaches from the Psychological Well-being

Abstract

A study about the primary informal caregivers of adults with chronic neurological diseases was performed at the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Havana during the months of November 2016 to February 2017. The aim of this paper was to characterize the psychological well-being of the primary informal caregivers of adult people with chronic neurological diseases. It is a descriptive and correlational study conceived from a mixed methodology, favoring a broader understanding and an in-depth description of the experience of the participants through Multiple Case Studies. The sample was formed of 19 primary informal caregivers with an average age of 46 years, which were administered techniques such as the Initial interview of characterization of the caregiver, the semi-structured interview and the Adult Psychological Well-Being Scale. The results shown unstructured life projects, predominance of negative emotional states and a reduction of spaces of socialization as factors that negatively affect psychological well-being. On the other hand, the mainly protective factors were the satisfactions in the family area, linked to functional dynamics. Summarizing, the psychological well-being of the primary informal caregivers is affected, with life projects being the most deteriorated dimension.