Family caregivers of adults with acquired physical disability:Thai case–control study

Abstract

This case-control study compares the health of Thai family caregivers of adults with acquired physical disabilities with others without similar responsibilities. To ascertain health perceptions, face-to-face structured interviews using the Short Form (36) were conducted with participants randomly selected from primary care units in eastern Thailand (150 in each group). Despite similar sociodemographic profiles, caregivers reported more health problems and harmful health behaviours. Mean scores for physical and mental health were significantly lower. Factors contributing to poorer health among both caregivers and controls were older age, low educational level, insufficient income and existing health problems. Additional factors for caregivers were gender, spousal or in-law relationship, high dependency, long caregiving time, lack of previous experience and other caregiving responsibilities. This study identifies an urgent need for support to promote caregivers' health to enable them to maintain their vital role.

Predicting quality of life among family caregivers of people with spinal cord injury having chronic low back pain in Nepal: a cross-sectional pilot study

“…The functional independence of the person with SCI was an important predictor on QoL of a caregiver with LBP. This result was consistent with previous studies [11,14,24]. In this study, nearly half of the persons with SCI were tetraplegic who were severely impaired and highly-to-totally dependent on their caregivers for daily living activities which may require greater expenditures and more daily caregiving hours.…”

“…Thus, caring for persons with SCI with low functional independence is associated with poor QoL of the caregivers. In addition, earlier studies showed that the functional disability of an individual negatively determined their QoL [14,16,17], which is similar to the finding of this present study. Caregivers had chronic LBP resulting from using substantial time and effort in providing physical care for persons with SCI with physical caregiving environment barriers and no caregiver assistant.…”

“…For example, several studies have shown that lower household income due to caregiving was associated with caregiver distress and low QoL [10][11][12]. In addition, decreased functional independence of disabled people was related to increased burden on caregivers and worse overall QoL [11,13,14]. Caregiving hours were significantly associated with burden and well-being among SCI caregivers [15].…”

Empowerment of family caregivers of adults and elderly persons: A concept analysis

“…In contrast, the relationship in Western countries between caregivers and care receivers is not limited to family members and relatives but encompasses a wide range of relationships (Hanyu, ). Thus, culture has a large influence on caregiving behaviours, beliefs, and practices (Lawang, Horey, & Blackford, ), and support for caregivers must accommodate these differences. In Japan specifically, approximately 70% of family caregivers are women, and the trend toward ageing caregivers parallels Japan's increasingly ageing society (Ministry of Health, 2013).…”

Health Risk Analysis Expert System for Family Caregiver of Person with Disabilities using Data Mining Techniques

“…Over 95% of all Thai people with disabilities receive care at home and the majority of caregivers are family members. Therefore, their care is solely dependent on family caregivers whose substantial commitment to long-term care can impact significantly on their health [1]. The caregiver caring is also important for long-term care.…”