Caregiver burden and parenting stress among left-behind elderly individuals in rural China: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: One public health problem that cannot be ignored is the mental health of left-behind elderly individuals in rural areas. However, the burden of care and parenting stress among left-behind elderly individuals has never been analyzed. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of caregiver burden and parenting stress and their relationship among left-behind elderly individuals. METHODS: A total of 261 left-behind elderly people responded to the study. The 22-item Zarit Burden Interview and the 36-item Parenting Stress Index-Short Form were used. RESULTS: We sent out 300 questionnaires in total. The effective rate was 87% (n = 261). Among the left-behind elderly individuals, most respondents were female (n = 171; 65.5%). The results showed that older age (OR:3.04; 95%CI: 1.307–7.048), an annual income of ¥5000–¥9900 (OR:3.25; 95%CI: 1.192–8.852) and higher parenting stress (OR:1.17; 95%CI: 1.103–1.242) were the risk factors related to higher caregiver burden in the left-behind elderly individuals. The influencing factor for lower caregiver burden in the left-behind elderly was gender (being male) (OR:0.08; 95%CI:0.036–0.178). Age (r = − 0.789; P < 0.001) and gender (r = 0.325; P < 0.001) were significant positively correlated with parenting stress, and annual income (r = − 0.717; P < 0.001) was negatively correlated with parenting stress. CONCLUSION: Parenting stress is a risk factor affecting caregiver burden of left-behind elderly individuals. Healthcare professionals should pay close attention to the caregiver burden and parenting stress of left-behind elderly individuals, especially those who are older, female and have lower income.