Centre for Vision Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Macquarie University Hearing, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
BMJ Open. 2021 Sep 8;11(9):e048658. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-048658.
We aimed to analyse the degree of carer burden and depressive symptoms in family carers of persons with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and explore the factors independently associated with carer burden and depressive symptoms.
Cross-sectional study using self-administered and interviewer-administered surveys, involving 96 family carer-care recipient pairs. Participants were identified from tertiary ophthalmology clinics in Sydney, Australia, as well as the Macular Disease Foundation of Australia database. Logistic regression, Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were used to investigate associations of explanatory factors (family caregiving experience, carer fatigue, carer quality of life and care-recipient level of dependency) with study outcomes-carer burden and depressive symptoms.
Over one in two family carers reported experiencing mild or moderate-severe burden. More than one in five and more than one in three family carers experienced depressive symptoms and substantial fatigue, respectively. High level of care-recipient dependency was associated with greater odds of moderate-severe and mild carer burden, multivariable-adjusted OR 8.42 (95% CI 1.88 to 37.60) and OR 4.26 (95% CI 1.35 to 13.43), respectively. High levels of fatigue were associated with threefold greater odds of the carer experiencing depressive symptoms, multivariable-adjusted OR 3.47 (95% CI 1.00 to 12.05).
A substantial degree of morbidity is observed in family carers during the caregiving experience for patients with AMD. Level of dependency on the family carer and fatigue were independently associated with family carer burden and depressive symptoms.
The trial registration number is ACTRN12616001461482. The results presented in this paper are Pre-results stage.
分析年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）患者家属的照顾者负担和抑郁症状程度，并探讨与照顾者负担和抑郁症状相关的独立因素。
采用横断面研究，使用自我管理和访谈者管理的调查，共涉及 96 对家庭照顾者-照顾对象。参与者从澳大利亚悉尼的三级眼科诊所以及澳大利亚黄斑病变基金会数据库中确定。逻辑回归、皮尔逊和斯皮尔曼相关分析用于调查解释因素（家庭护理经验、照顾者疲劳、照顾者生活质量和照顾对象的依赖程度）与研究结果-照顾者负担和抑郁症状之间的关系。
超过一半的家庭照顾者报告出现轻度或中度-重度负担。超过五分之一和超过三分之一的家庭照顾者分别出现抑郁症状和明显疲劳。照顾对象高度依赖与中度-重度和轻度照顾者负担的几率增加相关，多变量调整后的比值比分别为 8.42（95%CI 1.88 至 37.60）和 4.26（95%CI 1.35 至 13.43）。高度疲劳与照顾者出现抑郁症状的几率增加三倍相关，多变量调整后的比值比为 3.47（95%CI 1.00 至 12.05）。
在照顾 AMD 患者的过程中，家庭照顾者出现了相当程度的发病。对家庭照顾者的依赖程度和疲劳程度与家庭照顾者负担和抑郁症状独立相关。
该试验的注册号为 ACTRN12616001461482。本文呈现的结果处于预结果阶段。
