CAREGIVING END-OF-LIFE EXPERIENCES AND WELLBEING OF CAREGIVERS OF CARDIAC PATIENTS: MEDIATING ROLE OF CAREGIVING SELF EFFICACY

Objectives: To investigate the role of caregiving self-efficacy as mediator between the relationship of experiences of caregivers of dying heart patients with caregivers’ wellbeing. Methodology: Participants of this study were 211 caregivers of heart patients at Institute of Cardiology Multan. Caregivers aged 26-57 years provided data on three scales measuring End-of-Life experiences, caregiving wellbeing and caregiving self-efficacy. Results: Mediating effect of caregiving self-efficacy was supported through the path analysis on AMOS-21 between end-of-life care experiences and wellbeing of caregivers. Findings indicated that caregivers confronted high negative experiences and low well-being among caregivers of cardiac patients. Results also showed that caregivers' negative end-of-life care experiences such as physical suffering and burden significantly negatively affect their level of wellbeing; and positive and neutral experiences have positive impression on wellbeing. However, caregiving self-efficacy reported by caregivers mediate the effects of these experiences on their wellbeing. Conclusion: Assumed paths in model between the study variables supported the claim that caregivers’ self-efficacy intervened as mediator between caregiving experiences while giving during terminal period of dying patients and caregiver’s own wellbeing.  Findings suggested that if caregiving self-efficacy is high among caregivers, they may undergo negative experience less and may have high wellbeing during end-of-life care. Keywords: End-of-life care, end-of-life experiences, caregiver’ self-efficacy, well-being, cardiac patients