Background
Methods
Study design
Recruitment of participants
Measurements
Subjective burden
Objective stressors
Covariates
Statistical methods
Results
Study population characteristics
All caregivers (N = 356) | Spousal caregivers (N = 154) | Adult-child caregivers (N = 202) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mean (± SD)/N (%) | Mean (± SD)/N (%) | Mean (± SD)/N (%) |
p
| |
Age CG (40–88) | 63.2 (±11.4) | 73.3 (± 6.8) | 55.4 (± 7.3) | .000 |
Female CG (N, %) | 243 (68%) | 90 (58%) | 153 (76%) | .001 |
Type of care relationship (N, %) | ||||
- Spousal CG | 154 (43%) | |||
- Adult-child CG | 202 (57%) | |||
Informal support available (N, %) | 124 (35%) | 41 (27%) | 83 (41%) | .005 |
Institutionalized CR (N, %) | 140 (39%) | 14 (9%) | 126 (62%) | .000 |
Self-rated health CG (0–3) | 1.2 (±1.0) | .9 (±.9) | 1.3 (±1.0) | .000 |
Time investment – hours a weeka | ||||
- Household care tasks (0–84) | 4.0 (0–12) | 12.0 (4–21) | 1.5 (0–4) | .000 |
- Personal care tasks (0–70) | 0.0 (0–1) | 0.0 (0–4) | 0.0 (0–0) | .000 |
- Practical care tasks (0–56) | 2.0 (1–5) | 3.0 (1–10) | 2.0 (1–4) | .079 |
Health situation CR | ||||
- Multimorbidity (0–12) | 3.4 (± 2.0) | 3.0 (± 1.8) | 3.6 (± 2.0) | .002 |
- Functional limitations (0–15) | 6.1 (± 4.1) | 4.9 (± 4.2) | 7.1 (± 3.9) | .000 |
- Cognitive functioning (N, %) | ||||
- No problems | 157 (44%) | 74 (48%) | 83 (41%) | .040 |
- Some problems | 159 (45%) | 70 (46%) | 89 (44%) | |
- Severe problems | 40 (11%) | 10 (7%) | 30 (15%) | |
Subjective burden | ||||
- Overall subjective burden (0–10) | 3.9 (±1.7) | 4.4 (± 1.5) | 3.6 (± 1.7) | .000 |
- Fulfilment (a lot) | 208 (58%) | 90 (58%) | 118 (58%) | .996 |
- Relational problems (some/a lot) | 126 (35%) | 57 (37%) | 69 (34%) | .577 |
- Mental health problems (some/a lot) | 149 (42%) | 77 (50%) | 72 (36%) | .007 |
- Daily activities problems (some/a lot) | 158 (44%) | 78 (51%) | 80 (40%) | .038 |
- Financial problems (some/a lot) | 22 (6%) | 13 (8%) | 9 (5%) | .122 |
- Perceived social support (some/a lot) | 229 (64%) | 89 (58%) | 140 (69%) | .025 |
- Physical health problems (some/a lot) | 177 (50%) | 98 (64%) | 79 (39%) | .000 |
Correlates of subjective burden at baseline
Spousal caregivers
Univariate results | Multivariate results | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spousal caregivers (N = 154) | b | (se) | (95% CI) |
p
| b | (se) | (95% CI) |
p
|
Constant |
4.177
| (.283) | (3.617; 4.737) | .000 | ||||
Covariates | ||||||||
- Age CG | -.004 | (.018) | (-.039; .031) | .832 | ||||
- Female CG |
.515
| (.241) | (.039; .991) | .034 |
.449
| (.221) | (.013; .886) | .044 |
- Informal support available | .257 | (.272) | (-.280; .794) | .346 | ||||
- Institutionalized CR | .787 | (.414) | (-.031; 1.606) | .059 | .245 | (.394) | (-.533; 1.023) | .535 |
- Self-rated health CG |
-.639
| (.117) | (-.870; -.408) | .000 |
-.577
| (.116) | (-.806; -.349) | .000 |
Time investment – hours a week | ||||||||
- Household care tasks | -.005 | (.007) | (-.020; .010) | .507 | ||||
- Personal care tasks | .008 | (.012) | (-.016; .032) | .513 | ||||
- Practical care tasks | .001 | (.016) | (-.030; .033) | .932 | ||||
Health situation CR | ||||||||
- Multimorbidity |
.173
| (.065) | (.045; .301) | .008 | .101a | (.061) | (-.020; .221) | .100 |
- Functional limitations |
.081
| (.028) | (.026; .137) | .004 |
.068
a
| (.027) | (.015; .121) | .012 |
- Cognitive functioning | ||||||||
- No problems (ref.) | ||||||||
- Some problems |
.510
| (.242) | (.031; .989) | .037 | .380a | (.223) | (-.061; .822) | .091 |
- Severe problems |
1.348
| (.490) | (.380; 2.316) | .007 |
.976
a
| (.460) | (.068; 1.884) | .035 |
Adjusted R2 | .212 |
Adult-child caregivers
Univariate results | Multivariate results | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult-child caregivers (N = 202) | b | (se) | (95% CI) |
p
| b | (se) | (95% CI) |
p
|
Constant |
3.651
| (.312) | (3.036; 4.266) | .000 | ||||
Covariates | ||||||||
- Age CG | -.005 | (.016) | (-.037; .027) | .752 | ||||
- Female CG | .287 | (.277) | (-.259; .833) | .301 | ||||
- Informal support available | -.350 | (.241) | (-.824; .124) | .147 | ||||
- Institutionalized CR | -.104 | (.245) | (-.588; .380) | .672 | ||||
- Self-rated health CG |
-.640
| (.110) | (-.858; -.422) | .000 |
-.624
| (.108) | (-.837; -.410) | .000 |
Time investment – hours a week | ||||||||
- Household care tasks | .035 | (.021) | (-.006; .076) | .090 | .034a | (.019) | (-.003; .071) | .070 |
- Personal care tasks |
.097
| (.045) | (.008; .186) | .032 |
.093
a
| (.042) | (.011; .176) | .026 |
- Practical care tasks | .038 | (.026) | (-.014; .090) | .151 | ||||
Health situation CR | ||||||||
- Multimorbidity |
.173
| (.058) | (.060; .287) | .003 |
.143
b
| (.053) | (.038; .248) | .008 |
- Functional limitations | .056 | (.031) | (-.004; .116) | .069 | .048b | (.029) | (-.008; .104) | .095 |
- Cognitive functioning | ||||||||
- No problems (ref.) | ||||||||
- Some problems | .311 | (.257) | (-.196; .818) | .227 | ||||
- Severe problems | .505 | (.359) | (-.203; 1.212) | .161 | ||||
Adjusted R2 | .184 |
Correlates of subjective burden at follow-up
Spousal caregivers
Univariate results | Multivariate resultsa | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spousal caregivers (N = 71) | b | (se) | (95% CI) |
p
| b | (se) | (95% CI) |
p
|
Constant |
6.531
| (1.618) | (3.298; 9.764) | .000 | ||||
Covariates | ||||||||
- Age CG |
-.066
| (.025) | (-.115; -.017) | .009 |
-.061
| (.019) | (-.099; -.022) | .003 |
- Female CG | .118 | (.352) | (-.584; .820) | .738 | ||||
- Informal support available | .158 | (.392) | (-.628; .941) | .688 | ||||
- Institutionalized CR |
1.780
| (.645) | (.493; 3.067) | .007 | .829 | (.552) | (-.273; 1.931) | .138 |
- Self-rated health CG |
-.709
| (.195) | (-1.099; -.320) | .001 | -.307 | (.181) | (-.670; .055) | .095 |
Time investment – hours a week | ||||||||
- Household care tasks | -.001 | (.012) | (-.025; .022) | .917 | ||||
- Personal care tasks | -.002 | (.019) | (-.040; .035) | .897 | ||||
- Practical care tasks | -.027 | (.021) | (-.069; .014) | .195 | ||||
Health situation CR | ||||||||
- Multimorbidity |
.270
| (.092) | (.086; .453) | .005 | .117 | (.082) | (-.046; .281) | .155 |
- Functional limitations | .031 | (.045) | (-.060; .122) | .499 | ||||
- Cognitive functioning | ||||||||
- No problems (ref.) | ||||||||
- Some problems |
.729
| (.347) | (.038; 1.421) | .039 | .420 | (.281) | (-.142; .982) | .140 |
- Severe problems | 1.519 | (.857) | (-.192; 3.230) | .081 | 1.031 | (.670) | (-.307; 2.369) | .129 |
Subjective burden at baseline |
.632
| (.115) | (.403; .861) | .000 |
.410
| (.120) | (.170; .650) | .001 |
Adjusted R2 | .445 |
Adult-child caregivers
Univariate results | Multivariate resultsa | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult-child caregivers (N = 87) | b | (se) | (95% CI) |
p
| b | (se) | (95% CI) |
p
|
Constant |
1.788
| (.527) | (.739; 2.837) | .001 | ||||
Covariates | ||||||||
- Age CG | -.027 | (.021) | (-.069; .016) | .214 | ||||
- Female CG |
.785
| (.353) | (.082; 1.487) | .029 | .411 | (.320) | (-.224; 1.047) | .202 |
- Informal support available | -.099 | (.309) | (-.714; .516) | .750 | ||||
- Institutionalized CR | .025 | (.327) | (-.625; .676) | .938 | ||||
- Self-rated health CG |
-.403
| (.148) | (-.696; -.110) | .008 | -.144 | (.146) | (-.434; .146) | .327 |
Time investment – hours a week | ||||||||
- Household care tasks |
.067
| (.023) | (.020; .113) | .005 |
.041
b
| (.021) | (.000; .083) | .049 |
- Personal care tasks | .145 | (.075) | (-.004; .294) | .056 | .042b | (.068) | (-.094; .177) | .543 |
- Practical care tasks | .025 | (.031) | (-.037; .087) | .425 | ||||
Health situation CR | ||||||||
- Multimorbidity | .105 | (.080) | (-.054; .264) | .192 | ||||
- Functional limitations | .058 | (.044) | (-.029; .145) | .187 | ||||
- Cognitive functioning | ||||||||
- No problems (ref.) | ||||||||
- Some problems | .513 | (.316) | (-.116; 1.142) | .108 | ||||
- Severe problems | .576 | (.581) | (-.581; 1.732) | .325 | ||||
Subjective burden at baseline |
.498
| (.088) | (.322; .673) | .000 |
.414
| (.094) | (.227; .602) | .000 |
Adjusted R2 | .295 |