Resilience among Caregivers of Patients with Palliative Care Needs and Its Associated Factors: Using the CD-RISC Tool

Background The increasing incidence of patients requiring palliative care warrants holistic care approaches for patients where caregivers play vital roles. Understanding caregiver resilience and its determinants is crucial for developing targeted interventions to strengthen care for both patients and their caregivers. Objective To assess resilience levels among caregivers of palliative care patients and identify associated factors via the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted across five palliative care centers in Nepal from 2023–2024. The participants included 422 family caregivers of palliative care patients identified via the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicator Tool for Low-Income Settings (SPICT-LIS). Data were collected via demographic questionnaires and the Nepalese version of the CD-RISC. Statistical analysis was performed via nonparametric tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results The caregivers had a mean age of 38.03 years (SD ± 12.3), with 51.2% being male. The resilience scores ranged from 13–100 (median 70.5). Caregiver resilience was significantly associated with perceived health status (p < 0.001) and patient diagnosis (p = 0.002). Caregivers with "very good" or "good" perceived health demonstrated higher resilience scores (median 74 and 73, respectively). Those caring for patients with cardiopulmonary conditions presented the highest resilience (median 75), whereas chronic kidney disease caregivers presented the greatest variability in resilience scores. Conclusions Caregivers’ self-perceived health status and patient diagnosis were found to be key determinants of resilience. These findings highlight the importance of addressing caregiver health as an integral component of patient care and developing diagnosis-specific support interventions for caregivers for the holistic care of patients.