本研究目的在探討家庭功能、社會支持、照顧期間與殘病老人照顧者的負荷之相關性，經由三所居家護理單位及三家衛生所，共取得100位殘病老人。結果顯示主要照顧者之家庭功能中，家人的問題解決能力愈深入、角色的分配與執行愈清楚、家人愈趨近於同感式的情感投入，其身體、心理和社會方面的負荷愈輕(r = -0.24～-0.36, p < 0.05)；主要照顧者所感受到的社會支持程度愈高，其心理和社會方面的負荷愈輕(r = 0.22～0.29; p < 0.05)；然而照顧期間愈短，主要照顧者的社會負荷愈重(r = 0.26, p < 0.01) ;至於家庭功能、社會支持及身體、心理負荷皆與照顧期間無顯著相關。另主要照顧者總負荷之重要預測變項依序為家庭功能中的「問題解決」能力、殘病老人之日常生活活動功能、照顧者自覺健康狀況、社會支持喪失及參與照顧的人數，其解釋力達40%。依據以上研究結果，建議護理人員應以引導者與觀察者的角色介入殘病老人的家庭，引領照顧者及其家人重新省思及運用問題解決的步驟，重整角色的分配與執行，護理措施介入才能更發揮功效;尚須關懷主要照顧者是否面臨其他人生的重大事件，鼓勵家人彼此支持以共度難關。

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationships between family function, social support, caring duration and caregiver burden of the community dependent elderly. The study sample was drawn from3 home care services and 3 health departments. The findings indicated that the better the family function, the lower the caregivers' perceived burden ( r= - 0.24～- 0.36, p< 0.05). The findings also showed that the higher the perceived social support, the lower the caregivers' perceived burden (r = 0.22～0.29, p< 0.05). Multiple regression analysis indicated that five factors including problem solving of family function, activities of daily living of dependent elderly, caregivers' perceived health status, loss in social support and the numbers of caregivers accounted for 40% of caregiver burden. The results suggest that nurses should facilitate problem solving capability of the caregiver family and the utilization of their social support resources. Further, nurses should assess whether caregivers have lost any important relationships, and encourage families to support one another to tide over difficulties.