Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2022 Sep-Oct;102:104756. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2022.104756. Epub 2022 Jun 21.
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, informal caregivers' mental health deteriorated more than that of non-caregivers. We examined the association between increased caregiver burden during the pandemic and severe psychological distress (SPD).
We used cross-sectional data from a nationwide internet survey conducted between August and September 2020 in Japan. Of 25,482 participants aged 15-79 years, 1,920 informal caregivers were included. SPD was defined as Kessler 6 Scale (K6) score ≥ 13. Self-rated change in caregiver burden was measured retrospectively with a single question item. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between SPD and increased caregiver burden during the pandemic, adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, health, and caregiving variables. To examine the differential association between increased caregiver burden and SPD, interaction terms were added and binary logistic regression was separately conducted for all variables.
Participants' mean age was 52.3 years (standard deviation 15.9), 48.8% of participants were male, 56.7% reported increased caregiver burden, and 19.3% exhibited SPD. Increased caregiver burden was significantly associated with SPD (adjusted odds ratio: 1.90; 95% confidence interval: 1.37-2.66). The association between increased caregiver burden and SPD was stronger among caregivers who were married, those undergoing disease treatment, and those with a care-receiver with a care need level of 1-2.
The results revealed that more than half of caregivers reported increased caregiver burden, and increased caregiver burden was associated with SPD during the pandemic. Measures supporting mental health for caregivers with increased caregiver burden should be implemented immediately.
在 2019 冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间，非正式照护者的心理健康状况比非照护者恶化得更为严重。本研究旨在探讨大流行期间照护负担增加与严重心理困扰（SPD）之间的关系。
本研究使用了 2020 年 8 月至 9 月在日本进行的全国性互联网调查的横断面数据。在 25482 名年龄在 15-79 岁的参与者中，纳入了 1920 名非正式照护者。SPD 定义为 Kessler 6 量表（K6）得分≥13 分。照护负担的自评变化通过一个回顾性的问题项进行衡量。采用二元逻辑回归分析，调整人口统计学、社会经济、健康和照护相关变量后，探讨 SPD 与大流行期间照护负担增加之间的关系。为了检验照护负担增加与 SPD 之间的差异关联，添加了交互项，并对所有变量分别进行二元逻辑回归分析。
参与者的平均年龄为 52.3 岁（标准差 15.9），48.8%为男性，56.7%报告照护负担增加，19.3%出现 SPD。照护负担增加与 SPD 显著相关（调整后的优势比：1.90；95%置信区间：1.37-2.66）。在已婚、正在接受疾病治疗以及照护对象的护理需求级别为 1-2 的照护者中，照护负担增加与 SPD 之间的关联更强。
结果表明，超过一半的照护者报告照护负担增加，并且在大流行期间，照护负担增加与 SPD 相关。应立即采取措施为照护负担增加的照护者提供心理健康支持。
