Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Aging Ment Health. 2012;16(8):1016-27. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2012.692769. Epub 2012 Jun 12.
The rapidly ageing population in Hong Kong has led to a major concern in providing care for the elderly. Due to the current social changes in Hong Kong, such as smaller family size, longer life spans, and increasing employment demands, spouses increasingly serve as the primary caregivers for older adults. To explore the mental health of older spousal caregivers, this study investigated the relationships between psychological resources, social resources, and depression.
One hundred fifty-eight spousal caregivers aged 55 and above were recruited from 13 caregiver resource centres in Hong Kong. Data were collected using structured questionnaires.
Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the number of duties and psychological resources including purpose in life, caregiver burden, and personal wellbeing explained 56% of the variance in depression. Logistic regression analysis further indicated that purpose in life predicted the likelihood of depression reported by caregivers. Social resources did not significantly predict depression.
Results suggest that mental health enhancement programs should be developed for Chinese spousal caregivers with a focus on purpose in life, burden, and personal wellbeing.
香港人口迅速老龄化，这对老年人的护理提出了重大关注。由于香港目前的社会变化，如家庭规模较小、寿命延长和就业需求增加，配偶越来越多地成为老年人的主要照顾者。为了探讨老年配偶照顾者的心理健康，本研究调查了心理资源、社会资源与抑郁之间的关系。
从香港 13 个照顾者资源中心招募了 158 名 55 岁及以上的配偶照顾者。使用结构化问卷收集数据。
层次回归分析显示，职责数量和心理资源（包括生活目标、照顾者负担和个人幸福感）解释了抑郁症状的 56%的变异。逻辑回归分析进一步表明，生活目标预测了照顾者报告的抑郁的可能性。社会资源与抑郁无显著相关性。
结果表明，应针对中国配偶照顾者制定以生活目标、负担和个人幸福感为重点的心理健康增强计划。
