Association between family caregivers' primary care experience when they report as patients and their stress related to caregiving: A pilot cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Few studies have examined whether family caregivers' own primary care providers can affect caregiving-specific well-being, such as caregiver stress. In this pilot study, we explored whether primary care experiences when family caregivers report as patients were associated with the stress of caregiving. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from a survey conducted in Japan between November and December 2020. We recruited family caregivers aged 40–74 years who were caring for community-dwelling adults with chronic conditions. We assessed primary care experience using the Japanese version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool Short Form (JPCAT-SF) and caregiver stress using the Japanese short version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview. Results: In total, 406 family caregivers were included in the analysis. The mean JPCAT-SF total score was 42.1 out of 100 points. The proportion of caregivers who had higher caregiver stress was 48.8%. After adjusting for possible confounders, the JPCAT-SF score was found to be significantly associated with caregiver stress (lower stress = 0 vs. higher stress = 1; adjusted prevalence ratio per 1 SD increase in JPCAT-SF score = 0.89; 95% CI 0.80–0.98). Among the subscales of the JPCAT-SF, longitudinality, and comprehensiveness (services available) were associated with caregiver stress. Conclusions: Better primary care experiences when family caregivers reported as patients were associated with lower caregiver stress. Longitudinality, which includes focusing attention on the individual as a whole person, and comprehensiveness in the context of building provider-patient relationships that make consultation easier when needed, were associated with lower stress.