ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CARE BURDEN AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT PATIENTS AT ARMED FORCE BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT CENTER, RAWALPINDI

Abstract

Background: Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) requires a significant amount of support from family members, which can impact their physical, psychological, social and emotional health. Objective: To evaluate caregiver burden, quality of life (QoL) and see its correlation among family caregivers of bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients at Armed Forces Bone Marrow Transplant Center (AFBTC) Rawalpindi. Methodology: Using consecutive sampling, a cross sectional correlational study was conducted with 202 family caregivers between May and July of 2025. The participants were the adults who care for the post-transplant patients for not less than one month. The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Quality of Life – Family Version (QOL-FV) were completed as measures to capture data. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, ANOVA and linear regression were used, and p<0.05 was accepted as significant. Results: Among 202 caregivers, 110 (54.5%) were female and 92 (45.5%) were male; parents constituted 45 (22.3%) and siblings 42 (20.8%). Burden-related concerns were reported as sometimes by 67 (33.2%), rarely by 53 (26.2%), and frequently by 46 (22.8%) participants. Regarding QoL, 77 (38.0%) caregivers had moderate QoL, 65 (32.0%) good QoL, 40 (20.0%) poor QoL, 16 (8.0%) excellent QoL, and 12 (6.0%) very poor QoL. Caregiver burden showed a strong negative correlation with QoL (r=-0.798, p<0.001). Regression demonstrated that burden significantly predicted poorer QoL (β=-0.798, p<0.001), explaining 63.7% of its variance. Conclusion: Regular evaluation of the caregiver burden and provision of education, social support, and respite services are important in BMT care, as this is strongly correlated with poorer QoL.