Comparisons between different elements of reported burden and common mental disorder in caregivers of ethnically diverse people with dementia in Trinidad

OBJECTIVE: Culture plays a significant role in determining family responsibilities and possibly influences the caregiver burden associated with providing care for a relative with dementia. This study was carried out to determine the elements of caregiver burden in Trinidadians regarding which interventions will provide the most benefit. METHODS: Seventy-five caregivers of patients diagnosed with dementia participated in this investigation. Demographic data were recorded for each caregiver and patient. Caregiver burden was assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was used as a measure of psychiatric morbidity. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata and SPSS software. Associations between individual ZBI items and GHQ-28 scores in caregivers were analyzed in logistic regression models; the above-median GHQ-28 scores were used a binary dependent variable, and individual ZBI item scores were entered as 5-point ordinal independent variables. RESULTS: The caregiver sample was composed of 61 females and 14 males. Caregiver burden was significantly associated with the participant being male; there was heterogeneity by ethnic group, and a higher burden on female caregivers was detected at borderline levels of significance. Upon examining the associations between different ZBI items and the above-median GHQ-28 scores in caregivers, the strongest associations were found with domains reflecting the caregiver’s health having suffered, the caregiver not having sufficient time for him/herself, the caregiver’s social life suffering, and the caregiver admitting to feeling stressed due to caregiving and meeting other responsibilities. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, with a majority of female caregivers, the factors of the person with dementia being male and belonging to a minority ethnic group were associated with a greater degree of caregiver burden. The information obtained through the association of individual ZBI items and above-median GHQ-28 scores is a helpful guide for profiling Trinidadian caregiver burden.