In Caring for Older People in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Do Older Caregivers Have a High Level of Care Burden and Psychological Morbidity Compared to Younger Caregivers?

Ruttana Phetsitong (), Patama Vapattanawong, Rosie Mayston, Martin Prince and Kia-Chong Chua
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Ruttana Phetsitong: Faculty of Physical Therapy, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Patama Vapattanawong: Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Rosie Mayston: Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Social Science and Public Policy, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Martin Prince: King’s Global Health Institute, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Kia-Chong Chua: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: Caregivers have become older as longevity increases. Caregiving for older people can cause burdens and psychological morbidity, which are the chronic stresses perceived by informal caregivers. This study aimed to compare the levels of care burden and psychological morbidity between older and younger caregivers in low- and middle-income countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and China. Data were collected by the 10/66 Dementia Research Group. The Zarit Burden Inventory was used to measure the levels of burden on caregivers. Psychological morbidity was assessed through the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. Data from 1348 households in which informal caregivers provided home care for one older person were included in the analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the effects of caregiver age upon care burden and psychological morbidity. A fixed-effect meta-analysis model was used to obtain a pooled estimate of the overall odds ratios of each country. The unadjusted and the adjusted model for potential covariates revealed no significant difference in care burden and psychological morbidity between older caregivers and younger caregivers. The adjusted pooled estimates, however, indicated a lower psychological morbidity among older caregivers (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.41–0.93, I 2 = 0.0%). The demographic implications of caregiver age may suggest different policy responses across low- and middle-income countries.

Keywords: aging; caregiver; care burden; psychological morbidity; low- and middle-income countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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