134881 20260217205505.0 doi 10.5014/ajot.2024.050528 sideral 138425 ART-2024-138425 eng Gonzalo-Ciria, Laura (orcid)0000-0003-3295-6587 Difficulties Fulfilling Self-Care Needs Among Family Caregivers: An Observational Study 2024 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted Importance: Assuming the care of a family member with a disability or chronic illness constitutes a health risk factor for caregivers, who frequently overlook their own self-care. Objective: To analyze the self-care activities (SCAs) among caregivers of a family member with a disability or chronic illness and assess the impact on their satisfaction and quality of life (QoL). Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional, analytic study. Setting: Community. Participants: Five hundred caregivers of family members with a disability or chronic illness in the city of Zaragoza, Spain. Outcomes and Measures: The family caregivers’ occupational performance and satisfaction were assessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, and their QoL was assessed with the World Health Organization—Quality of Life. Results: In total, 32.8% of family caregivers had difficulty in all activities related to self-care, 46.6% had difficulty sleeping and resting, 31.6% had difficulty receiving health-related treatments, and 31.2% had difficulty with physical exercise. Women and younger family caregivers showed greater impairment in self-care. Occupational performance, satisfaction, and QoL worsened as the number of affected activities increased. Conclusions and Relevance: Caring for a family member with a disability or chronic illness has a negative impact on the SCAs of caregivers, especially among female caregivers and those of younger age. Caregiving is also associated with lower occupational performance, satisfaction, and QoL. Plain-Language Summary: Caring for a family member with a disability or chronic illness can become a health risk for caregivers, who frequently ignore their own self-care. The study results found that women and younger family caregivers showed a greater decline in self-care. This study provides information to help occupational therapists to work with family caregivers to prevent a decline in their self-care and improve their quality of life. info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess All rights reserved http://www.europeana.eu/rights/rr-f/ 2.1 2024 REHABILITATION 48 / 175 = 0.274 2024 Q2 T1 0.557 2024 Occupational Therapy 2024 Q2 Medicine (miscellaneous) 2024 Q2 2.3 2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion Gascón-Catalán, Ana Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0003-0335-0404 Laborda-Soriano, Ana A. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-0137-3672 Cambra-Aliaga, Alba Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0003-2587-6765 Ruiz-Garrós, María C. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0003-4513-6801 Perez-de-Heredia-Torres, Marta 1006 255 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Fisiatría y Enfermería Área Enfermería 1006 413 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Fisiatría y Enfermería Área Fisioterapia 78, 3 (2024), [9 pp.] Am. j. occup. ther. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 0272-9490 910183 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/134881/files/texto_completo.pdf Postprint 2233988 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/134881/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Postprint oai:zaguan.unizar.es:134881 articulos driver 2026-02-17-20:23:18 ARTICLE