Glossary / Lexicon

Caregiver refers to a person who provides support and assistance with various activities to a family member, friend, or neighbor.

May provide hands-on help with different tasks.

In psychology, a caregiver is an individual who provides care and support to another person, often a family member or loved one, who is in need of assistance due to age, illness, disability, or other circumstances. Caregivers may provide a variety of services, such as helping with activities of daily living (such as bathing, dressing, and grooming), providing emotional support, coordinating medical care, and managing medications. Here are a few examples of how caregiver might be used in the field of psychology:

1. Caregiver burden: Caregiver burden refers to the physical, emotional, and financial strain that caregivers may experience as a result of providing care. Researchers may study caregiver burden in order to understand the impact of caregiving on the well-being of caregivers and to identify ways to support caregivers and reduce the burden of caregiving.

2. Caregiver interventions: Researchers may develop and study interventions to support caregivers and improve the caregiving experience. These interventions may include education and training programs, support groups, respite care, or other forms of assistance.

3. Caregiver-patient relationship: Researchers may study the caregiver-patient relationship in order to understand how the quality of the relationship impacts patient outcomes, such as quality of life, adherence to treatment, and health status.

4. Caregiver coping: Researchers may study how caregivers cope with the challenges of caregiving in order to understand how caregivers adapt to the demands of caregiving and how coping strategies may impact caregiver well-being.