The mental health of informal caregivers in Ontario: an epidemiological survey.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study describes the mental health status, disability, physical health, and mental health service utilization of informal care-givers under the age of 65 in the province of Ontario. METHODS: The study analyzed data collected in the 1991 province-wide, population-based mental health supplement to the Ontario Health Survey. Diagnoses from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised, were generated on the basis of a structured diagnostic interview. Caregivers and noncaregivers are compared here on past-year prevalence of psychiatric disorder, physical illness, disability, and utilization of mental health services. The possible confounding effects of age, sex, employment status, and economic disadvantage are explored. RESULTS: Informal caregivers (n = 1219) constituted 15.0% of the sample. Caregivers had higher rates of affective (6.3% vs 4.2%) and anxiety (17.5% vs 10.9%) disorders than noncaregivers and used health services for mental health problems at nearly twice the rate. CONCLUSIONS: Documentation of the prevalence of caregiving and the increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders, disability, and service utilization among caregivers is of critical importance as governments continue to move toward community-based care. To accomplish this goal, the needs of caregivers must be acknowledged and met by the establishment of appropriate and readily accessible support services.

Towards caring for caregivers: assessing the burden of care and experience of associative stigma among caregivers of patients with chronic mental illnesses at a mental health care facility in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

“…It describes the term 'family burden' or 'caregiver burden'; therefore, it refers to the effects of the mental illness of one family member on the emotional wellbeing of other family members, as well as on the family member's use of time, finances and general living conditions. Broadly speaking, this includes physical care of the patient, compromises to the personal freedom and leisure activities of the family members, financial cost, psychological burden of stigma by association and impact on functional health [8,9].…”

Challenges and support for family caregivers of glioma patients

“…The acute distress following diagnosis and uncertainty regarding immediate effects of treatment and overall prognosis place major and multifactorial stresses on patient and family. Continuous caregiving, poor sleep and exhaustion (Kim and Rose 2011), and disrupted daily activities contribute to poor emotional health in caregivers (Cochrane et al 1997). In fact, psychological distress is reported in approximately half of family caregivers in neuro-oncology (Choi et al 2012;Trad et al 2015).…”

The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision Volume 3, Number 1

“…Depression rates among adult children caregivers range from 30% to 50% (Cochrane, Goering, & Rogers, 1997;Haggan, 1998). When age and education are considered, adult children still experience greater levels of depression than noncaregivers (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, Shema, & Kaplan, 1997).…”