Identificación de la carga laboral y su relación con la percepción de salud en cuidadores de la zona 9 del Ecuador

The objective of this research was to examine the relationship of work overload and general health (somatic symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction, depression) in nursing assistants in Ecuador’s area 9. A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational approach was conducted. The sample was 100 nursing assistants. The instruments used were the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire to identify probable cases of somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression; likewise, the Zarit Burden Interview for Caregivers to assess the subjective burden of care by the caregiver. Regarding the most relevant results, an intense overload of 42.2% was found, in terms of general health, this work reported that 4 out of 10 caregivers have somatic symptoms, anxiety and 2 out of 10 report having depression. There was a significant relationship between load, somatic symptoms and depression.