Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the mental health problems and quality of life of family caregivers of people with dementia, depending on whether they live with people with dementia.
Methods: The sample was divided into three groups: those without a family member with dementia, those with a family member with dementia but not living with them, and those living with a family member with dementia. Descriptive statistics, ANCOVA, and post-hoc tests were performed on key variables. We included a total of 324,078 people with at least one family member older than 60 years, whose data were extracted from the Korean Community Health Survey. Dependent variables: depressive symptoms, stress recognition, subjective health, happiness, and quality of life.
Independent variables: family member with dementia (yes/no), cohabitation type. Control variables: Sex, age, region (urban/rural), household income, and education level.
Results: Depressive symptoms and stress recognition were higher in people who live with a family member with dementia. Their subjective health, happiness, and quality of life were the lowest of the three groups. Overall, the indicators for people who lived with a family member with dementia were the most negative, followed by those who did not live with their family member with dementia, and then those who did not have such a family member.
Conclusions: Family caregivers living with people with dementia must be prioritized in policies regarding dementia; a program that can provide emotional support and reduce the burden of care is needed.
Keywords: Dementia; Depressive symptoms; Family caregivers; Happiness; Quality of life; Subjective health.
Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.