Background: There is a paucity of research assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and self-efficacy in caregivers of relatives with dementia in mainland China. Aims: To compare the level of HRQoL between caregivers and the general population in mainland China and to assess the role of caregiver self-efficacy in the relationship between caregiver social support and HRQoL. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shanghai, China. The caregivers were recruited from the outpatient department of a teaching hospital. A total of 195 participants were interviewed, using a survey package including the Chinese version of the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), demographic data, the variables associated with the impairments of care recipients, perceived social support and caregiver self-efficacy. The caregivers' SF-36 scores were compared with those of the general population in China. Results: The results indicated that the HRQoL of the caregivers was poorer compared with that of the general population when matched for age and gender. Multiple regression analyses revealed that caregiver self-efficacy is a partial mediator between social support and HRQoL, and a partial mediator between behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and caregiver mental health. Conclusion: Assisting with managing BPSD and enhancing caregiver self-efficacy can be considered integral parts of interventions to improve caregiver HRQoL. (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel
[1]Tongji Univ, Sch Med, Shanghai 200092, Peoples R China;
[2]Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Sch Med, Dept Biol Psychiat, Shanghai Mental Hlth Ctr,Shangai Inst Mental Hlth, Shanghai 200030, Peoples R China;
[3]Fudan Univ, Huashan Hosp, Shanghai Med Coll, Dept Neurol, Shanghai 200433, Peoples R China;
[4]Fudan Univ, Huashan Hosp, Shanghai Med Coll, State Key Lab Med Neurobiol,Inst Neurol, Shanghai 200433, Peoples R China;
[5]Queensland Univ Technol, Inst Hlth & Biomed Innovat, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia
(8.0+极速模式)