title: Spousal role and caregiver burden in HIV affected families in Anhui Province, China.
abstract: This study examined the burden experienced by various roles of family caregivers of people living with HIV (PLH), in particular spouses vs. non-spouses. A total of 475 family members of PLH were recruited from Anhui Province, China. Participants responded to a survey using the Computer Assisted Personal Interview method. The assessment collected data on demographic characteristics and their perceived caregiver burden, which was compared between spouses and non-spouses. Multiple regression models were built to identify factors associated with caregiver burden. About 64.4% of our study participants were female and the mean age was 42.1 years. Among various relationships to PLH, almost half reported being a spouse. Spouses reported significantly higher caregiver burden than non-spouses. In addition, older age and lower family income were significantly associated with higher level of caregiver burden. Among the subsample of spouses, significantly higher level of caregiver burden was identified among wives. Future studies should give special consideration to address the needs of female spouses in order to reduce their caregiver burden.
authors.affiliation: a Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Center for Community Health , University of California , Los Angeles , USA.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: a Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Center for Community Health , University of California , Los Angeles , USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Center for Community Health , University of California , Los Angeles , USA.
authors.forename: Chunqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: a Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Center for Community Health , University of California , Los Angeles , USA.
authors.forename: Sitong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: b Anhui Provincial Center for Woman and Child Health , Hefei , China.
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011788:Quality of Life; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: China; HIV; caregiver burden; gender; spouse