Psychological Distress, Family Functioning, and Social Support in Family Caregivers for Patients with Dementia in the Mainland of China

Background: Dementia is a chronic progressive disease seriously affecting the patient's daily life and working skills and may cause the patient disability and dependence. Thus, caring for dementia patients inevitably falls on families in the mainland of China. Unfortunately, there are rarely enough reports available about mental health and social support in family caregivers for domestic dementia patients. This study aimed to investigate the changes in psychological status and social support in domestic dementia family caregivers and hope the government and relevant departments pay more attention to the family caregiver's psychological change, which may be better for dementia patients.

Methods: Fifty-eight immediate family caregivers (family group) for dementia patients, including 21 Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 37 vascular dementia inpatients, were recruited for interview. Fifty-eight age- and sex-matched normal volunteers (control group) were also interviewed in the same period. The psychiatric distress was assessed by the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), family functioning was assessed by the Family Assessment Device (FAD), and the social support was assessed by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Group differences were analyzed using unpaired t test for comparison of SCL-90, FAD, and MSPSS mean scores. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to find the association between the various dimensions of FAD and the social support from dementia family caregivers.

Results: Except phobic anxiety dimension, the other dimensions of SCL-90 mean scores were significantly higher in the family group than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In the family group, except affective involvement dimension, the other dimensions of FAD mean scores were within the scope of unhealthy family functioning. Significant differences in problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, behavioral control, general functioning, and the total MSPSS mean scores were seen between the family group and the control group (P < 0.01). Except affective involvement dimension, the other dimensions of the family functioning correlated with the perceived social support in the family group (P < 0.05 or 0.01).

Conclusions: Dementia patients have a negative effect on families' mental health in the mainland of China. Dementia family caregivers experience defected family functioning and low levels of social support.