Differences in psychological morbidity among Australian and Chinese caregivers of persons with dementia in residential care

Objective The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of culture on caregiver psychological morbidity among informal caregivers of institutionalised persons with dementia in three different populations: (1) Shanghai, (2) Australian-Chinese and (3) Australian mainstream (non-Chinese). Methods Caregivers and residents with dementia were recruited from (1) a dementia hospital in Shanghai, (2) three ethno-specific Chinese nursing homes in Sydney and (3) four mainstream nursing homes in Sydney. Psychological morbidity was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale, mental health component (MHC) of the RAND-36 Health Status Inventory and a guilt scale. Results There were no significant differences between the three groups as measured by the guilt scale and MHC. Shanghai caregivers had higher mean depression scores than Australian-Chinese caregivers (p < 0.001), who in turn had higher mean depression scores than Australian mainstream caregivers (p=0.015). Higher depression scores were found to be inversely associated with the caregiver's education level and physical health status, and associated with increased frequency of nursing home visits, but not with levels of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Conclusion Levels of depression in caregivers of institutionalised persons with dementia differ by culture and country of residence. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons. Ltd.