Abstract
BACKGROUND: Caregiver burden is a critical issue in healthcare, particularly among informal caregivers of hospitalized elderly patients, as it can significantly impact both the caregivers' well-being and the quality of patient care. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the latent profiles of caregiver burden among informal caregivers of hospitalized elderly patients and the factors associated with caregiver burden. METHODS: 506 pairs of hospitalized elderly patients and their informal caregivers were interviewed using the Sociodemographic questionnaire, Caregiver Burden Inventory, Perceived Social Support Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Barthel Index. Latent profile analysis identified caregiver burden profiles, and multinomial logistic regression determined associated factors. RESULTS: The caregiver burden was classified into three profiles: low (49.01%), moderate (41.90%), and high (9.09%). Individual caregiver factors (older age, high economic stress, poor self-rated health, poor caregiving ability and profound anxiety) and situational factors (inadequate social support, and caring for patients with limited ADL) were associated with high level of caregiver burden (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These three profiles of caregiver burden in the study showed different characteristics in different dimensions of caregiver burden. These findings provide a basis for developing targeted interventions to alleviate the burden and enhance care quality.