Quality of Life of Caregivers of Dementia Patients in India

Abstract

Quality of life (QOL) of caregivers of 54 dementia patients was assessed using the WHOQOL-Bref scale, and psychological distress was assessed using the GHQ-12 scale. The caregiver's situation and behavior problems in the dementia patients were also noted. The subjective perception of QOL on WHOQOL had a mean score of 3.22 (SD, 0.42). QOL scores were higher for male caregivers (3.32) and for caregivers older than 60 years (3.60) as compared to younger ones. The QOL scores of caregivers did not vary significantly with gender, age, educational status, marital status, health, relationship with the dementia patients, type of residence, family type, or whether they received help; 37% had psychological distress as measured by GHQ-12. The correlation between WHOQOL total score and GHQ was found to be -0.39 (P < 0.003), confirming poor quality of life in relation to increasing psychological distress.