Effect of Support Based on Family Centered Empowerment Model on Care Burden in Family Caregivers of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction: Family caregivers of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at risk of care burden that may lead to adetrimental effect on their quality of life (QoL), physical and mental well-being. This study aimed todetermine the effect of the family-centered empowerment model (FCEM) on the care burden ofcaregivers of patients with MS.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted using convenience sampling on ۶۰ caregivers of patientsreferring to the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic in Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. The participants wereassigned to FCEM and control groups based on the days they were referred to the MS clinic. Datacollection tools included the Zarit Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), completed in the intervention andcontrol groups before and one month after the intervention. The support based on FCEM was providedduring eight ۴۵-۶۰-minutes sessions, and the control group received the medical center’s routinetraining. Data were analyzed by Chi-square, independent t-test, analysis of covariance, and repeatedmeasure tests.Results: The results of the present study showed that all demographic characteristics were homogeneous atthe baseline. Before the intervention, no significant difference was observed between the two groupsregarding mean scores of care burden. Based on the repeated measure test, there was no significanttreatment and time interaction in changes in care burden.Conclusion: The FCEM has no significant effect in alleviating the care burden. It is recommended to observe thenecessary considerations regarding the context of this type of intervention and to carry out furtherinvestigations in different intervals.