Exploring the quality of life and its determinants among caregivers of patients with tuberculosis: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Assessing quality of life (QoL) of caregivers of patients with tuberculosis (TB) highlights their unseen sacrifices. This study aimed to address the domains of QoL of TB caregivers and to estimate their possible determinants in Alexandria, Egypt.

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey was conducted in the chest clinics and the main chest hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. From May to September 2023, data were collected through structured, face-to-face interviews using the World Health Organization Quality of Life- BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. The findings were compared to those of published results from tuberculosis patients and the general population. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to identify the key predictors influencing the QoL of TB caregivers.

RESULTS

In total, 149 caregivers participated in the study; 83.9% of them were females, and 76.5% were married. Caregivers showed QoL scores similar to TB patients in most domains (p > 0.05), except for the social domain, where they scored significantly lower (39.7 ± 20.2 vs. 50.3 ± 20.6; p < 0.001). Compared to the general population, caregivers had significantly lower QoL across all domains. In the physical domain, older age (≥ 65 years) predicted lower QoL (β = -16.45, p = 0.022), while male gender and the absence of chronic disease were associated with higher scores (β = 10.48, p = 0.022 and β = 15.51, p < 0.001, respectively). The psychological domain was positively affected by the absence of chronic disease (β = 8.23, p = 0.015). For social relations, single and widowed/divorced individuals reported markedly lower QoL than married participants (β = -20.96, p = 0.003 and β = -20.18, p < 0.001, respectively). Lastly, in the environmental domain, receiving additional caregiving support predicted improved QoL (β = 5.42, p = 0.039).

CONCLUSION

TB significantly impaired the QoL of the caregivers. These findings highlight the need for the targeted interventions to improve their well-being.