title: Depression among family caregivers of community-dwelling older people who used services under the Long Term Care Insurance program: a large-scale population-based study in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify predictors for depression among family caregivers of community-dwelling older people under the Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) program in Japan through a large-scale population-based survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 5938 older people with disabilities, using domiciliary services under the LTCI in the city of Toyama, and their family caregivers participated in this study. Caregiver depression was defined as scores of ≥16 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Other caregiver measures included age, sex, hours spent caregiving, relationship to the care recipient, income adequacy, living arrangement, self-rated health, and work status. Care recipient measures included age, sex, level of functional disability, and severity of dementia. The data from 4128 pairs of the care recipients and their family caregivers were eligible for further analyses. A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the predictors associated with being at risk of clinical depression (CES-D of ≥16).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 34.2% of caregivers scored ≥16 on the CES-D. The independent predictors for depression by logistic regression analysis were six caregiver characteristics (female, income inadequacy, longer hours spent caregiving, worse subjective health, and co-residence with the care recipient) and one care-recipient characteristic (moderate dementia).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is one of the first population-based examinations of caregivers of older people who are enrolled in a national service system that provides affordable access to services. The results highlighted the importance of monitoring caregivers who manifest the identified predictors to attenuate caregiver depression at the population level under the LTCI.
authors: a Department of Gerontological Policy, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology (NCGG) , Aichi , Japan.
authors: Yumiko
authors: Y
authors: Arai
authors: Keigo
authors: K
authors: Kumamoto
authors: Yoko
authors: Y
authors: Mizuno
authors: Masakazu
authors: M
authors: Washio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007353:Insurance, Long-Term Care; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs; D011159:Population Surveillance; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology