Frias Cindy E, Cabrera Esther, Zabalegui Adelaida
Mental Health Nurse, Hospital Clinic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
School of Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Life (Basel). 2020 Oct 23;10(11):251. doi: 10.3390/life10110251.
The constantly changing process of caring for a person with dementia affects the informal caregivers' role due to its psychosocial impact. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the impact of the Person with Dementia informal caregiver's role caregiver to a person with dementia on the self-perceived quality of life (QoL) of the caregiver. In total, 160 informal caregivers were recruited between January and December 2019. Informal caregivers' quality of life was assessed using the European Quality of Life 5-Dimension scale, burden with the Zarit Burden Scale, emotional wellbeing using the General Health Questionnaire, and caregiver reactions using Caregiver Reaction Aspects. Patients' cognitive impairment was assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination, their quality of life using Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease, and neuropsychiatric symptoms using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Outcomes were studied using the Pearson correlation coefficient and ANOVA test. Most informal caregivers' outcomes were significantly associated with their quality of life. Male informal caregivers have a slightly better quality of life than female caregivers ( < 0.001). Caregiver burden ( < 0.001), psychological wellbeing ( < 0.001) and negative aspects of caregiving on health ( < 0.001) correlated moderately with informal caregivers' quality of life. Factors associated with dementia, including the course of the illness and its severity with the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms can negatively affect the informal caregiver's role and produce a low self-perception of quality of life; thus, social and professional support for informal caregivers is essential.
照顾痴呆症患者这一不断变化的过程因其心理社会影响而改变了非正式照料者的角色。这项横断面研究旨在分析痴呆症患者的非正式照料者角色对其自身感知生活质量（QoL）的影响。2019年1月至12月期间共招募了160名非正式照料者。使用欧洲生活质量五维度量表评估非正式照料者的生活质量，使用扎里特负担量表评估负担程度，使用一般健康问卷评估情绪健康状况，使用照料者反应方面评估照料者反应。使用简易精神状态检查表评估患者的认知障碍，使用阿尔茨海默病生活质量量表评估其生活质量，使用神经精神科问卷评估神经精神症状。使用皮尔逊相关系数和方差分析测试研究结果。大多数非正式照料者的结果与他们的生活质量显著相关。男性非正式照料者的生活质量略高于女性照料者（<0.001）。照料者负担（<0.001）、心理健康（<0.001）以及照料对健康的负面影响（<0.001）与非正式照料者的生活质量呈中度相关。与痴呆症相关的因素，包括疾病进程及其严重程度以及神经精神症状的存在，会对非正式照料者的角色产生负面影响，并导致对生活质量的自我认知较低；因此，为非正式照料者提供社会和专业支持至关重要。
