Abstract

This study examined knowledge levels, caregiving burden, and lived experiences of family caregivers providing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) care in Türkiye using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Family caregivers play a critical role in PEG management; however, limited formal home-care infrastructure and strong familial norms intensify their responsibilities and increasing burden. Twenty-eight caregivers from a university hospital (March–June 2025) completed the PEG Care Knowledge Assessment and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative results showed a mean knowledge score of 15.50±5.64 (55.3% accuracy), with 46.4% demonstrating low knowledge. The average burden was 49.18±15.43, which means it was moderate to severe. Stepwise regression (p< 0.001) identified PEG knowledge, caregiver age, weekly care hours, relationship closeness, household size, patient age, and comorbidities as significant predictors.

Qualitative analysis identified four thematic contexts: caregivers' meaning-making (viewing PEG as a threat, loss, or lifesaving), care experiences (daily practices, feeding, managing complications, experiential learning), multidimensional challenges (physical, psychological, social, and system-level barriers), and unmet needs (education, consultation, material resources). Integration demonstrated that gaps in knowledge were associated with perceptions of being unprepared. Conversely, a substantial burden despite sufficient knowledge indicated underlying structural challenges, including social isolation and the absence of respite care. The findings emphasize that PEG caregiving in Turkey is influenced by interconnected individual, cultural, and gender-based expectations; all participants were women, indicating the persistence of traditional gender norms. It is essential to implement comprehensive interventions that target educational, psychosocial, and structural factors contributing to burden. Policy and practice implications encompass accessible caregiver education, round-the-clock consultation services, provision of educational materials, enhanced home care services, and gender-equitable policies that acknowledge caregiving as vital yet underappreciated labor. This mixed-methods approach offers a reproducible framework for investigating PEG caregiving across various cultural contexts and advances global nursing understanding of long-term enteral feeding support.

Notes

References:

O'Cathain, A., Murphy, E., & Nicholl, J. (2008). The quality of mixed methods studies in health services research. Journal of health services research & policy, 13(2), 92–98. https://doi.org/10.1258/jhsrp.2007.007074

Senol Celik S, Bozkul G, Arslan HN. Challenges and Experiences of Gastrostomy Patients and Their Caregivers: Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/01939459251379704

Zarit, S. H., Reever, K. E., & Bach-Peterson, J. (1980). Relatives of the impaired elderly: correlates of feelings of burden. The Gerontologist, 20(6), 649–655. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/20.6.649

Description

This mixed-methods research of 28 Turkish PEG caregivers reveals that they have a lot of pressure due to knowledge gaps and limited support. All the caregivers were women, and they reported that the burden was moderate to severe. The results indicate that effective interventions necessitate more than simple education. They need readily available healthcare, financial assistance to support them, and rules that take into account their diverse cultural backgrounds.

Author Details

Hande Nur Arslan, PhD(c), RN; Prof. Sevilay Senol Celik, PhD

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Other

Research Approach

Mixed/Multi Method Research

Keywords:

Long-Term Care, Stress and Coping, Public and Community Health, Caregiver Burden, Gastrostomy, Turkiye

Conference Name

37th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Conference Year

2026

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2026-08-20

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Knowledge, Burden, and Experiences of PEG Caregivers in Türkiye: A Mixed-Methods Study

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

This study examined knowledge levels, caregiving burden, and lived experiences of family caregivers providing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) care in Türkiye using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Family caregivers play a critical role in PEG management; however, limited formal home-care infrastructure and strong familial norms intensify their responsibilities and increasing burden. Twenty-eight caregivers from a university hospital (March–June 2025) completed the PEG Care Knowledge Assessment and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative results showed a mean knowledge score of 15.50±5.64 (55.3% accuracy), with 46.4% demonstrating low knowledge. The average burden was 49.18±15.43, which means it was moderate to severe. Stepwise regression (p< 0.001) identified PEG knowledge, caregiver age, weekly care hours, relationship closeness, household size, patient age, and comorbidities as significant predictors.

Qualitative analysis identified four thematic contexts: caregivers' meaning-making (viewing PEG as a threat, loss, or lifesaving), care experiences (daily practices, feeding, managing complications, experiential learning), multidimensional challenges (physical, psychological, social, and system-level barriers), and unmet needs (education, consultation, material resources). Integration demonstrated that gaps in knowledge were associated with perceptions of being unprepared. Conversely, a substantial burden despite sufficient knowledge indicated underlying structural challenges, including social isolation and the absence of respite care. The findings emphasize that PEG caregiving in Turkey is influenced by interconnected individual, cultural, and gender-based expectations; all participants were women, indicating the persistence of traditional gender norms. It is essential to implement comprehensive interventions that target educational, psychosocial, and structural factors contributing to burden. Policy and practice implications encompass accessible caregiver education, round-the-clock consultation services, provision of educational materials, enhanced home care services, and gender-equitable policies that acknowledge caregiving as vital yet underappreciated labor. This mixed-methods approach offers a reproducible framework for investigating PEG caregiving across various cultural contexts and advances global nursing understanding of long-term enteral feeding support.