Quality of life of caregivers with relatives suffering from mental illness in Hong Kong: roles of caregiver characteristics, caregiving burdens, and satisfaction with psychiatric services

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Shuk Fan Chan¹  Sau Kam Chan¹  Angus Yuk Kit Lam²  Daniel Fu Keung Wong² 

[1] Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service, Hong Kong SAR;Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

关键词: Hong Kong;    Satisfaction with psychiatric services;    Caregiving Burden;    Caregivers characteristics;    Quality of Life;   

Others  :  825949
DOI  :  10.1186/1477-7525-10-15

 received in 2011-08-10, accepted in 2012-01-31,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

The study attempted to explore the quality of life (QoL) of Chinese caregivers with mentally ill relatives. It also aimed to examine the differential roles of caregiving burdens, caregiver characteristics, and satisfaction with psychiatric services in caregivers' QoL.

Methods

276 caregivers with relatives attending community psychiatric facilities in Hong Kong were invited to fill out a questionnaire. One sample t-tests were conducted to compare the results of this study with that of other Chinese populations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed to examine the relative influence of different factors on caregivers' QoL.

Results

Our sample of caregivers had significantly lower QoL scores than other Chinese populations. Results also suggest that Chinese caregivers who had chronic illness, younger in age, a lower education level, experienced more difficulties in handling negative symptoms, and were more dissatisfied with mental health services had poorer quality of life. Indeed, caregiver characteristics displayed a much stronger association with caregivers' QoL than did caregiving burdens and satisfaction with psychiatric services.

Conclusions

This study supports the strong association of caregiver characteristics and the QoL of caregivers and establishes the nature of the relationship between satisfaction with mental health services and caregiver QoL. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Wong et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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