Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
HEALTH PROBLEMS OF CIVILIZATION, cilt.18, sa.1, ss.5-15, 2024 (ESCI)
Background. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health literacy and caregiving burden in mothers responsible for primary care of chronically ill children. Material and methods. The study, given a descriptive and analytical design, was conducted between JanuaryMay 2023 in Kocaeli province (Turkiye) with mothers (n=131) who had a child diagnosed with a chronic disease for at least one year. Data were collected using the questionnaire, Turkish Health Literacy Scale-32 (THLS-32) and Zarit Burden Scale (ZBS). Results. The mean age of mothers participating in the study was 36.96 +/- 6.56 years. It was found that there was a significant association between the different descriptive characteristics of the mothers participating in the study and the scales. It was found that the mothers had a sufficient level of health literacy (31.3%), with a mean score of 36.00 +/- 8.46 on the THLS-32. There is a significant negative correlation (r=-0.201; p=0.022) between the mean scores of THLS-32 and ZBS of the mothers participating in the study. Conclusions. As a result of this study, it was found that some demographic characteristics of mothers caring for a child with a chronic illness have an impact on caregiving burden and health literacy. As the mother's health literacy increases, the burden of caregiving decreases. Family caregivers should be involved in designed educational and intervention programs to increase their health literacy and self-efficacy.