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Which variable is the strongest adjusted predictor of quality of life in caregivers of patients with dementia?
Author(s) -
Abdollahpour Ibrahim,
Nedjat Saharnaz,
Salimi Yahya,
Noroozian Maryam,
Majdzadeh Reza
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
psychogeriatrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1479-8301
pISSN - 1346-3500
DOI - 10.1111/psyg.12094
Subject(s) - dementia , variable (mathematics) , gerontology , psychology , quality of life (healthcare) , medicine , clinical psychology , mathematics , psychotherapist , disease , mathematical analysis
Background The central role of family in caregiving for patients with dementia is now widely acknowledged. However, in playing this role, caregivers may neglect their health and quality of life ( QOL ). The purposes of present study were to measure caregivers' QOL and to determine its adjusted predictors via multiple regression models. Methods We used sequential sampling to recruit 153 patients and their caregivers from the I ran A lzheimer A ssociation in our cross‐sectional study. A single‐item question with a L ikert scale was applied to measure QOL . A multiple linear regression model was used to determine the adjusted predictors of QOL . Results Of the responding caregivers, 22.8% reported their QOL as poor or very poor. Caregiver burden, the main caregiver's age, the G lobal D eterioration S cale, and the number of caregivers were introduced as adjusted predictors of QOL . Conclusions Caregiver burden was proposed as the strongest adjusted predictor for caregivers' poor QOL . Therefore, it seems that interventions to reduce caregiver burden can be effective in enhancing caregivers' QOL .