Predictors of Family Caregiver Burden in Caring for Older People in the Urban District of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand

• Published in: Journal of International Health Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 217 - 228
• Main Authors: Osamu Watanabe, Jiraporn Chompikul, Masato Kawamori, Nuanpan Pimpisan, Sawitree Visanuyothin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan Association for International Health 20.12.2019
• ISSN: 0917-6543

[Abstract] [Objective] Thailand is experiencing demographic changes owing to an increase of the older population. Family members feel responsible for providing care and are required to offer a broad range of assistance despite insufficiency of the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources. Therefore, family caregivers go through a considerable amount of distress in their efforts to provide long-term care for older people. The aim of this study was to identify the factors which lead to perceivings of burden for family caregivers caring for varied dependent older people in Thailand, and to determine the magnitude of Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) they experienced in order to develop appropriate strategies for burden alleviation. [Methods] A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in August 2017. A total of 314 subjects were recruited from ten randomly selected sub-districts in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The CBI was employed to assess family caregiver burden. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression were utilized to examine the association between independent variables and family caregiver burden. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed to test differences among the five factors of the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI). [Results] The prevalence of high caregiving burden was moderate (41.7%). Among CBI factors, time constraint was a significant and major cause of burden. Increased caregiver burden was significantly related to the caregiver's own health problems (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.06-6.27), caregiver's poor sleep quality (AOR = 2.71, 95% CI = 1.43-5.11), daily hours providing care >= eight hours (AOR = 2.81, 95% CI = 1.61- 4.91), care-recipient's low ADL level (AOR = 3.98, 95% CI = 2.29-6.92), and care-recipient's low cognition level (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.23-3.67), even after adjusting for other factors. [Conclusion] The research finding showed that the prevalence high caregiver burden was moderate. Among the five CBI variables, time constraint was the major cause of burden. Further, caregiver's own health problems, caregiver's poor sleep quality, daily hours of providing care >= eight hours, care-recipient's low ADL level, and care-recipient's low cognition level, were regarded as factors affecting caregiver's major burden. Thus, both caregivers' and carerecipients' factors adversely influenced caregivers' burden.