Comparisons between different elements of reported burden and common mental disorder in caregivers of ethnically diverse people with dementia in Trinidad

Abstract

ObjectiveCulture plays a significant role in determining family responsibilities and possibly influences the caregiver burden associated with providing care for a relative with dementia. This study was carried out to determine the elements of caregiver burden in Trinidadians regarding which interventions will provide the most benefit.MethodsSeventy-five caregivers of patients diagnosed with dementia participated in this investigation. Demographic data were recorded for each caregiver and patient. Caregiver burden was assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was used as a measure of psychiatric morbidity. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata and SPSS software. Associations between individual ZBI items and GHQ-28 scores in caregivers were analyzed in logistic regression models; the above-median GHQ-28 scores were used a binary dependent variable, and individual ZBI item scores were entered as 5-point ordinal independent variables.ResultsThe caregiver sample was composed of 61 females and 14 males. Caregiver burden was significantly associated with the participant being male; there was heterogeneity by ethnic group, and a higher burden on female caregivers was detected at borderline levels of significance. Upon examining the associations between different ZBI items and the above-median GHQ-28 scores in caregivers, the strongest associations were found with domains reflecting the caregiver’s health having suffered, the caregiver not having sufficient time for him/herself, the caregiver’s social life suffering, and the caregiver admitting to feeling stressed due to caregiving and meeting other responsibilities.ConclusionsIn this sample, with a majority of female caregivers, the factors of the person with dementia being male and belonging to a minority ethnic group were associated with a greater degree of caregiver burden. The information obtained through the association of individual ZBI items and above-median GHQ-28 scores is a helpful guide for profiling Trinidadian caregiver burden.

Caregiving burnout of community-dwelling people with dementia in Hong Kong and New Zealand: a cross-sectional study

“…Ethnical and contextual influence are widely recognised to be associated with burnout, but investigation using a representative sample is limited. Ethnicity and social structure are important factors contributing to the difference in dementia caregiving experience [ 16 – 18 ]. For example, African American dementia caregivers were found to have better wellbeing comparing to their white counterparts [ 19 ]; while dementia caregivers in Korea is more burdened than Korean-American and white caregivers [ 16 , 20 ].…”

Development of the empowerment scale for family caregivers of community‐dwelling people with dementia in Japan

“…We used the GHQ12-J, which has been used in previous studies (Perlick et al, 2013;Sakanashi & Fujita, 2017a). However, previous studies have reported that the GHQ is related to caregiver burden (using the Zarit Burden Interview, ZBI; Baboolal, Davis, Stewart, Ramesar, & McRae, 2018) and psychological distress of family caregivers (using the Neuropsychiatry Inventory, NPI, and Perceived Stress Scale, PSS; Javadpour, Ahmadzadeh, & Bahredar, 2009). The GHQ tends to focus on negative concepts, so the use of the GHQ12-J may constitute weak evidence for the criterion validity of the EFCD, as we believe that the EFCD reflects more positive concepts such as self-efficacy.…”

Cultural factors associated with burden in unpaid caregivers of older adults: A systematic review

“…Regarding race/skin colour, White caregivers had higher levels of burden in six studies compared to Black caregivers (Cothran et al, 2017;Fredman et al, 1995;Martin, 2000;Skarupski et al, 2009;Spurlock, 2005) and Latin caregivers (Montoro-Rodriguez & Gallagher-Thompson, 2009). Other studies found that Hispanic caregivers had higher levels of burden compared to Black caregivers (Cox & Monk, 1996) and Black caregivers had higher levels of burden compared to Indian caregivers (Baboolal et al, 2018).…”

“…Thailand, India, Turkey, Mexico and China (Akpınar et al, 2011;Baboolal et al, 2018;Chan & Chui, 2011;Chindaprasirt et al, 2014;Gok Metin et al, 2019;Zhan, 2002Zhan, , 2005 and another seven were carried out in more than one developed and developing country (Chan et al, 2021;Chun et al, 2007;Konerding et al, 2019;Losada et al, 2006;Smith et al, 2019;Sousa et al, 2016;Youn et al, 1999). The United States accounted for the largest number of studies (n = 16).…”