Impact of Caregiver Burden and Care Recipients' Activities of Daily Living Abilities on Caregivers' Occupational...

Caregiver stress is primarily caused by family and social life disruptions that limit the caregivers' abilities to engage in meaningful activities, leading to occupational dysfunction. We are aimed at determining the proportion of occupational dysfunction among primary caregivers, its association with caregiver burden, and examining the effects of caregiver burden and care recipients' activities of daily living (ADL) abilities on primary caregivers' occupational dysfunction.

A cross-sectional, facility-based survey was used to investigate the proportion of occupational dysfunction among primary caregivers and its association with caregiver burden. A path analysis was conducted to assess the impact of caregiver burden and care recipients' ADL on occupational dysfunction among primary caregivers. This study included 75 daycare rehabilitation user/primary caregiver pairs. Occupational dysfunction, caregiver burden, and ADL were assessed using the Classification and Assessment of Occupational Dysfunction scale, Zarit burden interview (Japanese version), and the Barthel index, respectively. The impact of caregiver burden and care recipients' ADL on primary caregivers' occupational dysfunction was assessed using correlation and path analyses.

The mean age of the primary caregivers and care recipients was 65.2 ± 9.8 years (72.0% were female) and 82.4 ± 7.1 years (48.0% being female), respectively, and 45.3% of the caregivers exhibited occupational dysfunction. Path analysis indicated that a decline in the care recipients' ADL was associated with an increased caregiver burden and subsequently related to higher occupational dysfunction. The model fit indices were as follows: χ² (df = 1) = 0.010, p = 0.091, GFI = 1.000, AGFI = 0.999, CFI = 1.000, and RMSEA = 0.000.

Lower ADL abilities among care recipients were associated with higher caregiver burden and greater occupational dysfunction among primary caregivers. These findings indicate that interventions aimed at reducing caregiver burden and addressing caregiver support needs warrant further investigation.