title: Mental health among younger and older caregivers of dementia patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Caregiver burden in dementia is an important issue, but few studies have examined the mental health of younger and older family caregivers by comparing them with age- and gender-matched community residents. We aimed to compare the mental health of dementia caregivers with that of community residents and to clarify factors related to mental health problems in younger and older caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 104 dementia caregivers; 46 were younger (<65 years) and 58 were older (≥65 years). A total of 104 community residents who were matched for age and gender were selected. We compared depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for younger participants; Geriatric Depression Scale for older participants), health-related quality of life (QOL) short-form health survey (SF-8), sleep problems, and suicidal ideation between the caregivers and community residents by age. Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental ADL were assessed among patients with dementia using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Physical Self-Maintenance Scale, and Lawton Instrumental ADL Scale, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to SF-8 results, both younger and older caregivers had significantly worse mental QOL than community residents (younger caregivers: 46.3 vs community residents: 49.7, P = 0.017; older caregivers: 48.2 vs community residents: 51.1, P = 0.024) but were not more depressive. Sleep problems were significantly more frequent in younger caregivers (39.1%) than in community residents (17.0%) (P = 0.017). Multiple regression analysis revealed that caregivers' deteriorated mental QOL was associated with patients' behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in younger caregivers and with dementia patients' instrumental ADL and female gender in older caregivers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dementia caregivers had a lower mental QOL than community residents. To maintain caregivers' mental QOL, it is necessary to provide younger caregivers with skills or professional interventions for dealing with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, and older caregivers must be offered adequate care support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Asuka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Masateru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujise
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Hibiki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hatada
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hotta
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeda
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: activities of daily living (ADL); behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD); carers; depression; quality of life (QOL)