Subjective burden and subjective well-being in informal caregivers of older adults: the mediating role of physical activity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v79.118461Keywords:
Physical activity, subjective well-being, caregiver burden, informal caregiver, mediationAbstract
Introduction: Informal care for older adults is associated with a high subjective burden and lower subjective well-being. Physical activity is recognized as a protective factor for well-being; however, its role as a mediating mechanism between burden and well-being has received limited attention in informal caregivers.
Objective: To analyze the mediating role of physical activity in the relationship between subjective caregiver burden and subjective well-being in informal caregivers of older adults.
Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study of 245 informal caregivers in the Atacama and Biobío regions (Chile). Subjective burden (Zarit), physical activity (HPLP-II subscale), and subjective well-being (PWI) were assessed. A simple mediation model (PROCESS Model 4) was estimated using 5,000 bootstrap resamples, adjusting for caregiver age and daily hours of care.
Results: The total effect of subjective burden on subjective well-being was negative and significant (β=−0.445; p<0.001). When physical activity was included as a mediator, the burden maintained a direct negative effect on well-being (β =−0.416; p< 0.001). In addition, a significant indirect effect of burden on well-being through physical activity was observed (β=−0.028; 95%CI [−0.056; −0.005]), indicating partial mediation.
Discussion: Although the indirect effect is small, it is to be expected in multifactorial psychosocial processes such as informal caregiving and remains relevant given the modifiable nature of physical activity.
Conclusions: Physical activity partially mediates the association between subjective burden and subjective well-being, supporting its incorporation into comprehensive caregiver support strategies.
References
Angner, E. (2010). Subjective well-being. The Journal of Socio-Economics, 39(3), 361-368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2009.12.001
Botas, G., Pires, S., Fonseca, C., & Ramos, A. (2025). Reducing caregiver burden through dyadic support in palliative care: A systematic review focused on middle-aged and older adults. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(16), 5804. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14165804
Cardoso, C., Lumini, M. J., & Martins, T. (2025). Effects of physical exercise in reducing caregivers burden: A systematic review. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1474913. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1474913
Cheng, R., Yang, L., & Kang, S.-J. (2025). A study on the relationship between high school students’ sleep quality, physical exercise, academic stress, and subjective well-being. BMC Psychology, 13(1), 180. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02497-3
Coutts, J. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2022). Questions of value, questions of magnitude: An exploration and application of methods for comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 55(7), 3772-3785. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-022-01988-0
Cui, H., & Zhou, Y. (2025). The impact of physical activity on subjective well-being: The mediating role of exercise identity and the moderating role of health consciousness. PLOS ONE, 20(4), e0313799. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313799
Da Silva‐Sauer, L., Garcia, R. B., Fonsêca, É. K. G., & Fernández‐Calvo, B. (2024). Physical activity and its relationship to burden and health concerns in family caregivers of people with dementia. Psychogeriatrics, 24(2), 165-173. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyg.13053
Duplantier, S. C., & Williamson, F. A. (2023). Barriers and Facilitators of Health and Well-Being in Informal Caregivers of Dementia Patients: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 4328. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054328
García-Garro, P. A., Santa Rivero, C. A., & Basto Cardona, C. M. (2026). Relación entre el bienestar subjetivo, la actividad física y la participación en el programa CicloVida. Retos, 78, 197-208. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v78.11634
Gu, J., Sun, X., Shi, Y., Wang, S., Wang, P., Liu, L., Liu, Y., & Wang, P. (2024). The hidden costs of informal caregiving: A concept analysis. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 617. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02293-1
Hayes, A. F. (2022). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Hellis, E., & Mukaetova-Ladinska, E. B. (2022). Informal Caregiving and Alzheimer’s Disease: The Psychological Effect. Medicina, 59(1), 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59010048
Horne, J., Kentzer, N., Smith, L., Trott, M., & Vseteckova, J. (2021). A Systematic Review on the Prevalence of Physical Activity, and Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity, in Informal Carers in the United Kingdom. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 18(2), 212-218. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2020-0526
Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas Chile. (2025). Censos de población y vivienda año 2024. https://www.ine.gob.cl/estadisticas/sociales/censos-de-poblacion-y-vivienda
IBM Corp. (2017). IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 25.0) [Software]. IBM Corp. https://www.ibm.com/products/spss-statistics
Lee, M. H., Matthews, A. K., Park, C. G., Vincent, C., Hsieh, K., & Savage, T. A. (2020). Relationships among parenting stress, health‐promoting behaviors, and health‐related quality of life in Korean mothers of children with cerebral palsy. Research in Nursing & Health, 43(6), 590-601. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.22074
Lin, S., Li, L., Zheng, D., & Jiang, L. (2022). Physical Exercise and Undergraduate Students’ Subjective Well-Being: Mediating Roles of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Sleep Quality. Behavioral Sciences, 12(9), 316. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12090316
Lindsay, R. K., Vseteckova, J., Horne, J., Smith, L., Trott, M., De Lappe, J., Soysal, P., Pizzol, D., & Kentzer, N. (2023). Barriers and facilitators to physical activity among informal carers: A systematic review of international literature. International Journal of Care and Caring, 7(3), 498-526. https://doi.org/10.1332/239788221X16746510534114
Litzelman, K., Kent, E. E., & Rowland, J. H. (2018). Interrelationships Between Health Behaviors and Coping Strategies Among Informal Caregivers of Cancer Survivors. Health Education & Behavior, 45(1), 90-100. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198117705164
Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia. Chile. (2025). Informe Sistema Nacional de Apoyos y Cuidados. 2025. https://observatorio.ministeriodesarrollosocial.gob.cl/storage/docs/cuidados/Informe_de_Cuidados-2024.pdf
OCDE. (2025). Directrices de la OCDE para la medición del bienestar subjetivo (actualización de 2025) (Publicaciones de la OCDE). https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-guidelines-on-measuring-subjective-well-being-2025-update_9203632a-en.html
Oyanedel, J. C., Vargas, S., Mella, C., & Páez, D. (2015). Validación del índice de bienestar personal (PWI) en usuarios vulnerables de servicios de salud en Santiago, Chile. Revista médica de Chile, 143(9), 1144-1151. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872015000900007
Pacewicz, C. E., Rowley, T. W., & Savage, J. L. (2023). Physical Activity and the Link Among Stress, Burnout, and Well-Being in Athletic Trainers. Journal of Athletic Training, 58(4), 374-380. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-0160.22
Rocard, E. & Llena-Nozal, A (2022). Supporting informal carers of older people: Policies to leave no carer behind (OECD Health Working Papers No. 140). OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/0f0c0d52-en
Rodríguez Pinto, J. E., Duque Posso, J. M., Benítez Vélez, J. A., & Arboleda-Serna, V. H. (2025). Asociación entre actividad física, bienestar psicológico subjetivo y rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios. Retos, 67, 862-875. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v67.112152
Sánchez-Martínez, V., Cauli, O., & Corchón, S. (2024). Long-Term Caregiving Impact and Self-Care Strategies in Family Caregivers of People with Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Mixed-Method Study. Diseases, 12(11), 292. https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases12110292
Shang, Y., Chen, S.-P., & Xie, H.-D. (2024). The Effect of Physical Exercise on Subjective Well-Being in Chinese Middle School Students: The Mediation Roles of Peer Relationships and Self-Actualization. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 33(3), 615-623. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00757-7
Szuhany, K. L., Malgaroli, M., & Bonanno, G. A. (2023). Physical activity may buffer against depression and promote resilience after major life stressors. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 24, 100505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2023.100505
Vázquez, C., Hervás, G., Rahona, J. J., & Gómez, D. (2009). Psychological well-being and health. Contributions of positive psychology. Anuario de Psicología Clínica y de La Salud, 5, 15-28.
Walker, S. et al. (1995). Health promotion model–instruments to measure health-promoting lifestyle: Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) (Adult version). University of Michigan https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/items/2d1c6350-9bf5-4c2e-bda8-424918ce0a92
World Health Organization. (2022). Physical activity fact sheet. https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
World Health Organization. (2024). World health statistics 2024: Monitoring health for the SDGs, sustainable development goals. https://www.who.int/data/gho/publications/world-health-statistics
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
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Gloria Peña Oliva, Aldo Vera Calzaretta, Carolina More Toro, Paula Hormazabal Maggi, Gisela Briones Fuentes, José Araya Rubina, Pablo Castro Pastén
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
