Burden of Care, Depression, and Quality of Life Among Patients with Chronic Renal Failure and Their Caregivers

The present study aimed to find out the relationship between depression and quality of life among patients with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), and also between Burden of Care and Depression among the caregivers of patients with chronic renal failure. The sample comprised 80 CRF patients undergoing hemodialysis with an age range of 20-50 years and 80 caregivers of CRF patients with an age range of 18-40 years who were selected by purposive sampling from the dialysis units of Government hospitals in Lahore. Three assessment tools: Burden Assessment Scale, Siddiqui Shah Depression Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life – BREF were used for data collection along with the demographic information of the participants. The results revealed a significant relationship between depression and quality of life among the CRF patients, and also between burden of care and depression among the caregivers of CRF patients. The results also suggested that female patients reported a greater level of depression than male patients. The relationship was further strengthened between the duration of illness and depression among the patients, and duration of caregiving and burden of care, along with depression among the caregivers