Introduction: Dementia is the leading cause of disability worldwide in the elderly individuals. Although prior studies have examined psychiatric symptoms in dementia caregivers, few studies have examined physician-diagnosed depression in the family caregiver of a patient with dementia.
Methods: We used data from 457 864 respondents from the Korea Community Health Survey. We used logistic regression to examine the relationship between physician-diagnosed depression and cohabitation with a patient with dementia.
Results: Cohabitation with a patient with dementia (1.2% of the Korean population) was significantly associated with physician-diagnosed depression. The significance remained in females when the data were stratified by sex. A significant association also occurred among males with low family income.
Conclusion: To reduce the burden of dementia, we need a management policy that includes the caregiver as well as the patient with dementia. In particular, political management for the vulnerable population, male caregiver in low-income family and female caregiver in high-income family, should be prepared.
Keywords: caregiver; community health survey; dementia; depression.
© The Author(s) 2016.