Resilience Among Caregivers of Injured Service Members: Finding the Strengths in Caregiving

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationships between caregiver resilience and a comprehensive set of sociodemographic and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) predictors among both caregivers and injured service members.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of an observational cohort.

Setting: Community dwelling.

Participants: Caregivers (n=87) who provide instrumental or emotional support to injured service members (n=73)(N=160).

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measure: The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25-item version.

Results: Higher caregiver resilience scores were related to lower depressive symptom severity, greater health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, interpersonal relations, stress management, and problem-solving orientation. A multivariable regression model showed that spiritual growth and aspects of problem-solving orientation were significantly related to resilience.

Conclusions: Results highlight the relationships between resilience and spirituality, problem-solving orientation, and aspects of HRQOL among caregivers of injured service members. These findings have important implications for caregiver behavioral health programs designed to promote resilience and draw upon caregiver strengths when taking on a caregiver role. Approaches that include a more integrative medicine or strengths-based emphasis may be particularly beneficial when working with families of injured military.

Keywords: Caregivers; Integrative medicine; Military personnel; Problem solving; Rehabilitation; Resilence; Spirituality.