Caring for Carers: Biopsychosocial Burden in Caregivers of Persons with Disability- A Cross-sectional Study in Rawalpindi

Objective: The study aimed to determine the caregiver burden experienced by caregivers of persons withdisability (PWD) reporting to a tertiary care rehabilitation medicine facility.Study Design: A cross-sectional observational study.Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFIRM), Rawalpindi, Pakistan from April 2022 to March 2023.Methods: A total of 90 patients were enrolled in the study using a non-probability purposive samplingtechnique. The Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), a tool developed to assess the burden experienced byinformal caregivers across five domains — time-dependence, developmental, physical, social, and emotional—was used to measure multidimensional aspects of caregiving and burden of care. Statistical analysis of datawas done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).Results: Total caregiver burden score amongst participants was statistically significant (P value: 0.046). Amongthe five domains used by CBI, the physical domain was most affected (P-value: 0.004). The mean total CBI scorewas 26.5 (IQR 18.7 - 37). A positive correlation was found between increased age and increased total CBI score(0.231; P-value of 0.04). There was no correlation between the duration of care provided by caregiver and totalCBI score (0.052; P-value = 0.625).Conclusion: The presence of a high burden of care seen among female caregivers, older individuals, and inthose providing care to persons with various comorbidities, depicts a need for structured support systems,including respite care services, financial assistance programs, and caregiver-friendly policies to alleviate thisburden. How to cite this: Arshad S, Younas U, Khalil MT, Ahmad K, Mumtaz SN, Itfaq M. Caring for Carers: Biopsychosocial Burden in Caregivers of Persons with Disability- A Cross-sectional Study in Rawalpindi. Life and Science. 2025; 6(4): 569-576. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.610