Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Kuantan, 25200, Pahang, Malaysia.
Sophiahemmet Högskola, Valhallavägen 91, 114 86, Stockholm, Sweden.
BMC Geriatr. 2024 Aug 5;24(1):656. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05221-9.
The majority of persons with dementia (PWD) are mainly cared for by their family members in the home. Evidence is however scarce on family caregivers' psychosocial burden and quality of life in Asian countries including Malaysia. This study describes the baseline data of a telephone-delivered psychoeducational intervention study and examines the determinants of outcome measures (caregiver burden, depressive and anxiety symptoms, quality of life and caregiving self-efficacy) among Malaysian family caregivers to PWD.
This was a cross-sectional study originated from the baseline survey of a randomized control trial of 121 family caregivers recruited from lists of PWD who were registered at memory and psychiatry clinics in three tertiary care hospitals in Malaysia. The participants were assessed for caregiver burden by the Zarit Burden Interview, depressive and anxiety symptoms by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, quality of life by the Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Pleasure Scale, and caregiving self-efficacy by the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy.
Prevalence of caregiver burden was 69.4%, depressive symptoms 32.2% and anxiety symptoms 32.2%. Family caregivers to PWD having perceived peer support e.g., social/family/friend/significant other supports were less likely to report caregiver burden, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and more likely to report higher levels of quality of life and caregiving self-efficacy. Being married and PWD's ability to self-care were associated with lesser likelihood of experiencing caregiver burden, depressive and anxiety symptoms. The other determinants of greater probability of reporting better quality of life were caregivers' employment and having Islamic faith. Marital status (married), PWD's ability to self-care, spousal relationship with PWD and shared caregiving process were associated with higher likelihood of reporting caregiving self-efficacy.
Caregiver burden, depressive and anxiety symptoms are prevalent in family caregivers to PWD in Malaysia. Social support and caregiving related factors influence family caregivers' quality of life and caregiving self-efficacy. Implementing psychoeducational intervention and support in the psychiatry and memory clinics may help improve the psychosocial burden, quality of life and caregiving self-efficacy in family caregivers of PWD.
ISRCTN14565552 (retrospectively registered).
大多数痴呆症患者（PWD）主要由其家庭成员在家中照顾。然而，在包括马来西亚在内的亚洲国家，关于家庭照顾者的心理社会负担和生活质量的证据很少。本研究描述了一项电话传递心理教育干预研究的基线数据，并检查了马来西亚 PWD 家庭照顾者的结果测量（照顾者负担、抑郁和焦虑症状、生活质量和照顾自我效能）的决定因素。
这是一项横断面研究，源于对马来西亚三家三级护理医院记忆和精神病学诊所登记的 121 名 PWD 患者的随机对照试验的基线调查。参与者通过 Zarit 负担访谈评估照顾者负担，通过医院焦虑和抑郁量表评估抑郁和焦虑症状，通过控制、自主、自我实现和愉悦量表评估生活质量，通过修订后的照顾自我效能量表评估照顾自我效能。
照顾者负担的患病率为 69.4%，抑郁症状为 32.2%，焦虑症状为 32.2%。照顾者感知到同伴支持，例如社会/家庭/朋友/重要他人的支持，不太可能报告照顾者负担、抑郁和焦虑症状，更有可能报告更高水平的生活质量和照顾自我效能。已婚和 PWD 自理能力与经历照顾者负担、抑郁和焦虑症状的可能性较低有关。报告更高生活质量的其他决定因素是照顾者的就业和拥有伊斯兰信仰。婚姻状况（已婚）、PWD 的自理能力、与 PWD 的配偶关系以及共同的照顾过程与报告更高的照顾自我效能有关。
马来西亚 PWD 家庭照顾者中存在照顾者负担、抑郁和焦虑症状。社会支持和照顾相关因素影响家庭照顾者的生活质量和照顾自我效能。在精神病学和记忆诊所实施心理教育干预和支持可能有助于减轻 PWD 家庭照顾者的心理社会负担、提高生活质量和照顾自我效能。
ISRCTN82441309（回顾性注册）。
