Depression among family caregivers of community-dwelling older people who used services under the Long Term Care Insurance program: a large-scale population-based study in Japan

Abstract

This is one of the first population-based examinations of caregivers of older people who are enrolled in a national service system that provides affordable access to services. The results highlighted the importance of monitoring caregivers who manifest the identified predictors to attenuate caregiver depression at the population level under the LTCI.

Undergraduate caregivers for individuals with chronic conditions: Stressors and needs

“…Although participants in the current study did not specify if they lived with the care recipient, in other samples of caregivers, co-residence with the care recipient has been associated with increased burden and psychological distress among caregivers [16][17][18], and with increased interference in school work and in extracurricular participation among young caregivers [16]. This sample's tendency to live with family or romantic partners may be attributed to intergenerational households, financial constraints, and accessibility to the care recipient.…”

“…Responses for each item are summed to provide a score between 0 and 27 [9]. Scores are grouped into ranges: no depression (0-4); mild depression (5-9); moderate depression (10)(11)(12)(13)(14); moderately severe depression (15)(16)(17)(18)(19); and severe depression (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). The PHQ-9 has been shown to have excellent internal consistency (α's .86 to .89) in validation studies, as well as in the current sample (α =.88).…”

“…Respondents rate the degree to which various items have bothered them over the past two weeks using a Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0 to 27, and scores are characterized by the following ranges: mild anxiety (5-9), moderate anxiety (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), and severe anxiety (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). The GAD-7 has shown good internal consistency both in standardization samples (α = .92) and in the current sample (α = .92), as well as very good test-retest reliability and convergent validity in validation studies [10].…”

“…Their marginally lower grade point averages may reflect the cumulative impact of managing multiple demands on their time, cognitive and physical energy, and coursework. Other studies of young caregivers have shown caregiving to be associated with fatigue [6], missed time from school, academic withdrawal [15,16], difficulty adjusting to college [8], declines in academic achievement [4], and difficulty with maintaining social relationships [7]. Alternatively, non-caregivers may come from families where other members have assumed caregiving roles or they may prioritize educational attainment over fulfillment of caregiving roles.…”

“…Caregivers in this study are especially vulnerable to role engulfment, which is a loss of identify outside of the role of caregiving [27], given their potentially developing identities as college students and caregivers. Caregivers Phys Med Rehabil Res, 2017 doi: 10.15761/PMRR.1000153 may perceive that others have higher expectations for them-both as students and as caregivers-and when unable to meet these expectations, they may experience feelings of failure, self-deprecation, and increased worry [16].…”