More GP contacts and poorer health of informal caregivers with low socioeconomic status in Germany: results from the population-based DEGS1 and the cross-sectional GPCare-1 study

Abstract

ObjectivesInformal caregivers are known to have poorer mental health. Risk factors for caregiver burden include low education, female gender, cohabitation with the care recipient and lack of resources. General practitioners (GPs) have an important role in supporting caregivers. Drawing on data from two surveys, associations between caregivers’ socioeconomic status (SES), psychophysical health and GP contacts are analysed.DesignCross-sectional study. The study draws on data from two surveys (German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults, DEGS1 and General Practice Care-1, GPCare-1).SettingGermany.ParticipantsDEGS1: German general population (18+ years) n=7987. GPCare-1: general practice patients (18+ years) n=813.Primary outcomePsychophysical health, GP contacts and communication.MethodsUsing representative DEGS1 data, the prevalence of informal caregivers, caregivers’ burden, chronic stress, various health conditions and frequency of GP contacts were evaluated stratified by SES. Data from the GPCare-1 study addressed caregivers’ experiences and communication preferences with GPs.ResultsIn the DEGS1, the prevalence of caregivers was 6.5%. Compared with non-caregivers, caregivers scored significantly higher for chronic stress (15.45 vs 11.90), self-reported poor health (37.6% vs 23.7%) and GP visits last year (3.95 vs 3.11), while lifestyle and chronic diseases were similar. Compared with caregivers with medium/high SES, those with low SES had a significantly lower prevalence of high/medium caregiver burden (47.9% vs 67.7%) but poorer self-reported health (56.9% vs 33.0%), while other characteristics did not differ. In the GPCare-1 study, the prevalence of caregivers was 12.6%. The majority of them felt that their GP takes their problems seriously (63.6%) without difference by SES.ConclusionCaregivers with low SES constitute an especially high-risk group for psychological strain, requiring special GP attention to support their needs.

Characteristics and Health Service Use of a Longitudinal Cohort of Carers Aged over 45 in Central and Eastern Sydney, Australia

“…Tis study's fnding that carers in Central and Eastern Sydney are well-engaged with general practice suggests that general practice is an important setting to identify people in caring roles; identify carers who may be struggling in these roles; and delivering interventions for carers. Tis is consistent with the limited literature on the importance of general practitioners in supporting carers [52,53]. Previous research with carers in this region of Sydney has found that many carers do not identify with terms such as carer or caregiver and often do not consider themselves as a carer until someone uses these terms to describe them [54,55].…”