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Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health
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Editorial

Social Support and Burden among Caregivers of Patients with Dementia in Malaysia

Wan-Yuen Choo, MMedSc, BSc

Health Research Development Unit, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ccwy{at}um.edu.my

Wah-Yun Low, PhD

Health Research Development Unit, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Razali Karina, MSc, BA

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

P.J.H. Poi, MB, MRCP

Department of Medicine, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Esther Ebenezer, MBBSM, MPM

Department of Psychological Medicine, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

M.J. Prince, MD, MSc

Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London

This study aims to examine selected factors of dementia patients and their caregivers that were associated with the burden of family caregivers. This cross sectional study involves face-to-face interview with family caregivers of patients with dementia. Participants were recruited through convenient sampling from geriatric and psychiatry outpatient clinics from three government hospitals, one university hospital, one rural health centre and Alzheimer Disease caregivers' support groups. 70 caregivers took part in the study. Measures included patient and caregiver demographic variables and caregiver burden using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Caregiver burden was found to be significantly associated with both ethnicity and informal support. Chinese caregivers were found to have a higher level of burden compared to Indians and Malays. Informal support, in particular assistance from family members, was significantly associated with a lower burden perceived by the caregivers. However, the study shows that formal support such as assistance from maids and private nurses did not alleviate the burden of caregivers. Results highlighted the importance of improving the coping skills in burdened caregivers particularly among family members with dementia relatives. Interventions should be designed for specific needs of caregivers of different ethnicities. Asia Pac J Public Health 2003; 15(1): 23-29.

Key Words: Mental health • burden • social support • dementia.

Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 15, No. 1, 23-29 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/101053950301500105
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