Impact of urinary incontinence on the psychological burden of family caregivers.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was conducted to assess the impact of urinary incontinence on the psychological burden of family caregivers providing care to disabled family members with urinary incontinence.


METHODS
This survey was conducted using an Internet panel for family caregivers in Japan, consisting of 7,316 members. We requested the members to respond to an online questionnaire to assess the impact of urinary incontinence on the burden of caregivers. The questionnaire included basic characteristics, and the Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI) comprising 22 questions related to the impact of the patient's disabilities on the burden of their caregivers. Additionally, the participants were asked to include the level of care need, ranging from 0 to 5 according to the grade of disability of the cared individuals.


RESULTS
Relevant data obtained from 757 caregivers were analyzed. Of these caregivers, 452 provided care to family members with urinary incontinence (group 1), and 305 provided care to those without urinary incontinence (group 2). The mean total ZBI score was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (mean, 40.7 vs. 34.7, P < 0.001). The difference in the scores for each item was also significant in 20 of the 22 items. With regard to the level of care need, irrespective of the level, the ZBI scores in group 1 tended to be higher than those in group 2.


CONCLUSIONS
The present survey demonstrated a negative impact of urinary incontinence on the psychological burden of family caregivers.
Gotoh
Momokazu
M
Department of Urology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan. gotoh@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Matsukawa
Yoshihisa
Y
Yoshikawa
Yoko
Y
Funahashi
Yasuhito
Y
Kato
Masashi
M
Hattori
Ryohei
R
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*