Abstract:
A musculoskeletal disorder among family caregivers is a health problem that requires appropriate preventive behaviors. This predictive correlational research aimed to describe the preventive behaviors against musculoskeletal disorders among family caregivers and to determine factors influencing those preventive behaviors. Data were carried out from November 2019 to January 2020. Research instruments were interviews including basic information, preventive behavior knowledge (Kruder-Richardson = 0.80), the preventive behavior toward attitude, the health service accessibility, the social support, and the preventive behaviors (Cronbachs alpha coefficients = 0.82 - 0.96). Descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression statistics were performed to analyze the data. The results revealed that the preventive behaviors against musculoskeletal disorder among participants in overall, the stress management and the posture adjustment aspects were rated at high levels. While the exercise and the muscle relaxation aspects were rated at medium levels. The social support, together with the preventive behavior knowledge, and the preventive behavior toward attitude could explain 42.6% (R 2 = 0.426, F = 5.881, p< 0.05) of the variance accounted for the preventive behaviors. These findings suggest that nurses and other health personnel should develop the program to promote preventive behaviors in the family caregiver through increasing supports from social networks, providing preventive behavior knowledge, and improving the preventive behavior toward attitude. Consequently, family caregivers have good health and can maintain their caregiving role to improve quality of life both family caregivers and persons with physical disabilities.