Background:

family Caregivers are those who first assume the role of caring for their dependent family member. As this is an exhausting process, full of obstacles and generates stress and anxiety, the caregiver often uses strategies to deal with these situations, coping strategies.

Objective:

characterize the coping strategies most used by Family Caregivers, before and after the implementation of a Nursing Intervention Program.

Methodology:

quasi-experimental study, longitudinal, with quantitative methodology, with a convenience sample of 70 Family Caregivers. A sociodemographic questionnaire and an instrument for evaluating coping strategies used, the Brief COPE Questionnaire, were used. Statistical analysis performed using SPSS 23.0. Data have a normal distribution, so parametric tests were used in their analysis.

Results:

caregivers are mostly elderly, female, low educational level, without professional occupation and cohabiting with their dependent family member. Coping strategies most used, both in the initial and final evaluation are Active Coping, Planning and Religion.

Conclusion:

a greater number of coping strategies were found, although it was not possible to clearly define a predominant coping style. The importance of the nurse's role in training family caregivers was highlighted.