Subjective experiences of family caregivers of patients with dementia as predictive factors of quality of life

Abstract

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate predictive factors of quality of life (QOL) in home caregivers of patients with dementia. Methods: A total of 118 home caregivers (48 male, 70 female) were asked to complete the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life 26 (WHO/ QOL-26) questionnaire, the Pines Burnout Measure (BM), and the Beck Depression Inventory, second edition (BDI-II). Patient demographics and clinical data regarding cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and dementia severity were obtained from medical records. Results: Spearman rank correlation coefficients revealed that caregiver QOL was significantly correlated with patients' neuropsychiatric symptoms (r = -0.19; P < 0.05), as well as depressive symptoms (r = -0.59, P < 0.01) and burnout (r = -0.59, P < 0.01) in caregivers. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that depressive symptoms in caregivers was the strongest predictor for caregiver QOL (R 2 = 0.37, P < 0.001) and that caregiver QOL was best predicted by the combination of depressive symptoms, burnout, and the cognitive impairment of patients (R 2 = 0.46, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The results of the present study demonstrate that subjective experiences of caregivers are more strongly correlated with caregiver QOL than patient-related variables and are thus powerful determinants of caregiver QOL. These findings suggest that caregiver intervention, which aims to increase QOL, may benefit from the incorporation of strategies to reduce depressive symptoms and burnout.

Caregivers’ quality of life in mild and moderate dementia

“…These results corroborate the results in the literature, which stress the inverse association between caregiver burden 18,19 and depressive symptoms 20,21 and QoL of caregivers. It has been suggested that caregivers' subjective experiences of depression and burden were more predictive of caregivers' QoL than the objective PwD-related variables, such as the PwD cognitive impairment or functional abilities 20 . Although our study showed that the same factors were related to the QoL of the caregivers who cared for mild and moderate dementia, the associated factors differed according to the severity of the dementia.…”

Understanding Resource Needs of Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers

“…Caregivers of persons with dementia had a higher level of unmet needs for formal services and faced more barriers in accessing services when compared to other caregivers of chronically ill patients (Harmell et al, 2011;Stirling et al, 2010). However, much of the research on dementia caregivers is centered on psychological well-being such as stress, depression, and anxiety (Brodaty & Donkin, 2009;Gaugler et al, 2008;Harmell et al, 2011, Takai et al, 2011. Although there is evidence to suggest that an increase in caregiver's mastery and self-efficacy leads to better coping, which in turn has a protective effect on their well-being (Harmell et al, 2011), few studies have explored what can be done to alleviate caregiver challenges in accessing and utilizing resources that have the potential to improve quality of life for both persons with dementia and their family caregivers.…”

“…Members of the immediate family, such as spouses and/or adult children, often take on the responsibility of caring for a person with dementia (Alzheimer's Association, 2013a). Research suggests that caregivers often feel unprepared after a family member receives a diagnosis of dementia (Chenoweth & Spencer, 1986;Gibson & Anderson, 2011;Takai, et al, 2011). Additionally, family caregivers often struggle to understand the cognitive decline and associated behavioral changes of their loved one, often ascribe a negative meaning to their relative's behavior, and blame the person rather than the disease (Vernooij-Dassen, Draskovic, McCleery, & Downs, 2011).…”

Views on disclosing mistreatment: A focus group study of differences between people with MS and their caregivers

“…Recent research on caregivers of patients with dementia (Takai et al, 2011) suggests that the subjective experience of the caregiver may be more important than patient-related variables in determining caregiver quality of life. We found the subjective experience of most of our male caregivers to be one of isolation, despair, frustration, and imprisonment.…”