Ainamani Herbert E, Alele Paul E, Rukundo Godfrey Z, Maling Samuel, Wakida Edith K, Obua Celestino, Tsai Alexander C
Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
Bishop Stuart University, Mbarara, Uganda.
Glob Ment Health (Camb). 2020 May 26;7:e13. doi: 10.1017/gmh.2020.7. eCollection 2020.
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are associated with increasing health burden in low- and middle-income countries. Less well-recognized is the potential health burden experienced by other affected individuals, such as family caregivers. In this study, we sought to profile the burden of care and its association with symptoms of depression and anxiety among informal caregivers of people living with dementia in rural southwestern Uganda.
We conducted a cross-sectional study of 232 family caregivers of people with dementia. The key measured variables of interest were caregiving burden (Zarit Burden Index) and symptoms of depression and anxiety (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales). We fitted multivariable regression models specifying depression and anxiety symptoms as the primary outcomes of interest and caregiving burden as the primary explanatory variable of interest.
Family caregivers of people with dementia experience significant caregiving burden, with each item on the Zarit Burden Index endorsed by more than 70% of study participants. Nearly half [108 (47%)] of caregivers had Zarit Burden Interview scores >60, suggestive of severe caregiving burden. In multivariable regression models, we estimated a statistically significant positive association between caregiving burden and symptoms of both depression [ = 0.42; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34-0.49] and anxiety ( = 0.37; 95% CI 0.30-0.45).
Family caregivers of people with dementia in rural Uganda experience a high caregiving burden, which is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Interventions aimed at reducing caregiving burden may have important collateral mental health benefits.
在低收入和中等收入国家，阿尔茨海默病及相关痴呆症给健康带来的负担日益加重。而其他受影响个体（如家庭照料者）可能承受的潜在健康负担却鲜为人知。在本研究中，我们试图描述乌干达西南部农村地区痴呆症患者的非正式照料者的照料负担及其与抑郁和焦虑症状的关联。
我们对232名痴呆症患者的家庭照料者进行了一项横断面研究。感兴趣的关键测量变量是照料负担（扎里特负担指数）以及抑郁和焦虑症状（抑郁焦虑压力量表）。我们建立了多变量回归模型，将抑郁和焦虑症状指定为感兴趣的主要结果，将照料负担指定为感兴趣的主要解释变量。
痴呆症患者的家庭照料者承受着巨大的照料负担，扎里特负担指数的每个项目都有超过70%的研究参与者认可。近一半[108名（47%）]的照料者扎里特负担访谈得分>60，表明存在严重的照料负担。在多变量回归模型中，我们估计照料负担与抑郁症状[β = 0.42；95%置信区间（CI）0.34 - 0.49]和焦虑症状（β = 0.37；95%CI 0.30 - 0.45）之间存在统计学上显著的正相关。
乌干达农村地区痴呆症患者的家庭照料者承受着较高的照料负担，这与抑郁和焦虑症状相关。旨在减轻照料负担的干预措施可能会带来重要的附带心理健康益处。
