Introduction:

the informal caregiver plays an important role in the structure of families with dependent old people with stroke.

Objective:

to determine the behavior of overburden in informal caregivers of old people with stroke.

Methods:

analytical, cross-sectional study in a sample of 207 old people with stroke and their respective caregivers, chosen at simple random probability, belonging to Pedro Borras Astorga and Raul Sanchez Rodriguez university polyclinics, during 2018. Instruments were applied to collect the information to the variables studied, analyzing the univariate and the bivariate ones and through multiple linear regression.

Results:

female caregivers predominated, age group 30-44 years, with slight overburden and insufficient social support, 86,61 % did not present previous training. When carrying out care tasks the average was 41,87 months, with 5.68 hours of care per day. Except for the sex of the caregiver, the other socio-demographic variables related to care showed a very significant association from the statistical view point with the presence of overburden (p<0,001). Severe neurological impairment was present in 35.27% of old people, and 56,03% of caregivers showed a regular quality of life; the latter variable was inversely and moderately related to the presence of overburden [p=0,000000; r=-0,443321].

Conclusions:

slight overburden predominated, influenced by the presence of sociodemographic variables linked to the work of care; the relationship between overburden along with an affected quality of life of caregivers was identified.

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