Economic analysis of the intangible impacts of informal care for people with Alzheimer's disease and other mental disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Valuation of the intangible impacts of informal care remains a great challenge for economic evaluation, especially in the framework of care recipients with cognitive impairment. Our main objective was to explore the influence of intangible impacts of caring on both informal caregivers' ability to estimate their willingness to pay (WTP) to be replaced and their WTP value.


METHODS
We mapped characteristics that influence ability or inability to estimate WTP by using a multiple correspondence analysis. We ran a bivariate probit model with sample selection to further analyze the caregivers' WTP value conditional on their ability to estimate their WTP.


RESULTS
A distinction exists between the opportunity costs of the caring dimension and those of the intangible costs and benefits of caring. Informal caregivers' ability to estimate WTP is negatively influenced by both intangible benefits from caring (P < 0.001) and negative intangible impacts of caring (P < 0.05). Caregivers' WTP value is negatively associated with positive intangible impacts of informal care (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Informal caregivers' WTP and their ability to estimate WTP are both influenced by intangible burden and benefit of caring. These results call into question the relevance of a hypothetical generalized financial compensation system as the optimal way to motivate caregivers to continue providing care.
EHESP - SHSC, Avenue du professeur Léon-Bernard CS 74312, 35012 Rennes, France. chloe.gerves@ehesp.fr
Chloé
C
Gervès
Martine Marie
MM
Bellanger
Joël
J
Ankri
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000191:economics*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
Alzheimer; cognitive impairment; contingent valuation; informal care; intangible impact of caring