ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe depression, caregiving burden and the correlation of the two variables in the families of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to clarify factors predicting caregiving burden. METHODS: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 139 family members who provided care to patients with ALS. The characteristics of patients and families, Korean-Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI), Korean version of Zarit Burden Interview (K-ZBI) and Korean-Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale - Revised (K-ALSFRS-R) were used as study measures. RESULTS: The mean score for K-BDI was 19.39 out of 63 suggesting sub-clinical depression and 38.2% of the family members exhibited depression. The mean score for K-ZBI was 66.03 out of 88. The predictors for K-ZBI were K-BDI, age of family member, length of time spent per day in caring, relationship to patient and K-ALSFRS-R. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that levels of depression and caregiving burden are high among family members caring for patients with ALS. As depression is associated with caregiving burden, screening and emotional supports should be provided to reduce the burden of care for these family. Support programs to alleviate the care burden are also needed, considering family demographics, time per day in caring giving and K-ALSFRS-R.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/pathology , Caregivers/psychology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Depression/etiology , Family , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Quality of Life , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Purposes of this study were: evaluation of family burden of caring for elders who receive long term care services, and examination of differences in burden before and after the introduction of long term care service in Korea. METHODS: Data were collected by questionnaires from 416 caregivers of elders who were registered with the Long Term Care Insurance Corporation in six cities. Data were collected in September, 2010 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and ANOVA with the Scheffe test, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Family burden decreased significantly after long-term care service was initiated. Subjective burden decreased from 2.93 to 2.69 (t=11.78, p<.001), and objective burden, from 3.40 to 3.10 (t=12.73, p<.001). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that factors affecting subjective burden were family relations (F=13.60, p=.003), age (F=5.47, p=.019), job (F=6.98, p=.008), and education (F=4.59, p=.032), and that factors affecting objective burden were living together (F=17.66, p<.001), job (F=13.34, p=.003), monthly income (F=6.61, p=.010), and type of service (F=6.62, p=.010). CONCLUSION: The results of this first study to investigate caregiver burden after the Korean Long-term Care Insurance System was begun provide positive information for the development of strategies to decrease family burden in long term care.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Adaptation, Psychological , Age Factors , Caregivers/psychology , Dependency, Psychological , Family , Income , Insurance, Long-Term Care , Surveys and Questionnaires , Regression Analysis , Republic of KoreaABSTRACT
Background: Six percent of the Chilean population has a disability requiring assistance with daily-living-activities and 69 percent of these individuals are cared by direct family members. The latter are at risk of developing caregiver burden. Zarit scales are used to assess the severity of caregiver burden. Aim: To validate the original and abbreviated Zarit scales for caregiver burden. Material and methods: Two groups of interviewers applied the original and abbreviated Zarit scales, along with a single subjective indicator for burden and surveys for depression, to 32 caregivers from an outpatient clinic in Melipilla, Chile. In 22 subjects, the instruments were applied again, four months later Results: Both Zarit scales showed high correlation with the subjective indicator for burden and with depression (r =0.51 and 0.67, respectively), supporting its construct validity. The abbreviated scale had a high correlation with the original scale (r =0.92), supporting its criterion validity. It had a 100 percent sensitivity 77.7 percent, specificity 86.6 percent positive predictive value and 100 percent negative predictive value to discriminate severe caregiver burden, using the original scale as standard. Both instruments showed high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha =0.84 and 0.87, respectively), inter-observer reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient =0.81 and 0.86, respectively) and stability reliability (Kappa test-retest =0.91 and 0.93, respectively). Conclusions: Both original and abbreviated Zarit burden scales are valid to assess caregiver's burden in a Chilean context. The abreviate scale Szeged particularly useful for primary care.