Factors associated with mental health outcomes among caregivers of older adults in long-term care facilities during COVID-19 post-epidemic era in Shandong, China

Abstract

BackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic has altered the work mode in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), but little is known about the mental health status of caregivers of older adults.MethodsA total of 672 formal caregivers of older adults in LTCFs and 1,140 formal patient caregivers in hospitals (comparison group) responded to an online survey conducted from March 25, 2022 to April 6, 2022. Five psychological scales, including Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), The 5-item World Health Organization Wellbeing Index (WHO-5) and Perceived Stress Scale-14 item (PSS-14), were applied to assess participants’ mental health status. Factors, including sex, profession, marital status, economic conditions, length of working experience, frequent night shift beyond 1 day per week and having organic diseases, were included in logistic regression analysis to identify associated factors with mental health outcomes of formal caregivers of older adults in LTCFs.ResultsCaregivers of older adults in LTCFs developed similar severe psychological symptoms with patient caregivers in hospital setting. For caregivers of older adults in LTCFs, unmarried status was a potent risk factor for insomnia, anxiety, impaired wellbeing and health risk stress, with odds ratios ranging from 1.91 to 3.64. Frequent night shift beyond 1 day per week was associated with higher risks of insomnia, depression and impaired wellbeing. Likewise, having organic disease or inferior economic condition, and being nurses appeared to be independent predictors for multiple mental health-related outcomes.ConclusionDuring COVID-19 post-epidemic era, caregivers of older adults in LTCFs had a higher prevalence of psychological symptoms, especially those with particular risk factors. Special attention should be paid to promote their mental health.

The moderating effect of care time on care-related characteristics and caregiver burden: differences between formal and informal caregivers of dependent older adults

“…These changes unsurprisingly increased caregiver burden ( 52 , 53 ). Globally, caregivers complained of increased job stress, anxiety, and depression due to lack of manpower, overtime, and work overload during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 29–31 , 54 ).…”

Caregivers' job stress related to oral health care of the elderly in long-term care facilities during a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic

“…Similarly, the oral health and quality of life of the elderly in the facilities depend on the emotional control and well-being of the workers who care for them. Several studies also said that caregivers' mental health was vulnerable due to COVID-19, so must be managed and supported [4,5,10,11,20]. The longer a crisis lasts, the less rewarding they nd their work and the greater their desire to leave, making it di cult to provide stable nursing care to the elderly [15].…”

“…However, more diverse stress factors affect oral health care for the elderly in the actual eld. Also, we did not use formal mental health index or scales [20].…”