P2‐282: A comparative study of caregiving burden and the effects of the care receiver's helpfulness to the caregiver and caregiver's self‐care on caregiving burden between dementia and non‐dementia caregivers

The purpose of this study was to compare the level of caregiving burden and the effects of care receiver's economic, instrumental, emotional helpfulness to caregiver and caregiver's self-care on caregiving burden between dementia and non-dementia caregivers in Korea. Data were collected from 125 non-dementia (stroke, arthritis, Parkinson's disease) caregivers and 71 dementia caregivers who were caring for spouse or parent. The instruments used in this study were Zarit Burden Interview to measure caregiving burden, care receiver's helpfulness scale, caregiver's daily self-care amount, caregiver's economic and physical health status scale, Modified Barthel Index, and daily caregiving hours. Data were analyzed by t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and hierarchical regression. Bivariate analysis by t-test indicated that the level of caregiving burden was significantly higher among dementia caregivers compared to non-dementia caregivers (mean=51.8 vs. 45.8, t=-3.25 p< .001). There were significant differences in the effects of care receiver's helpfulness to caregiver and caregiver's self-care on caregiving burden between dementia and non-dementia caregivers. Care receiver's emotional helpfulness to caregiver and caregiver's self-care were statistically significant factors predicting low caregiving burden of non-dementia caregivers while both care receiver's helpfulness to caregiver and caregiver's self-care were insignificant in lowering the caregiving burden of dementia caregivers. Out of the control variables, for both dementia and non-dementia caregivers, the number of daily caregiving hours was the most important factor affecting their caregiving burden. In addition, caregiver's physical health status among dementia caregivers and caregiver's economic status among non-dementia caregivers was statistically significant factor affecting their caregiving burden. There were significant differences in the level and related factors of caregiving burden between dementia and non-dementia caregivers in Korea. Based on the results, implications for social welfare interventions to address caregiving burden in Korea were presented differently between dementia and non-dementia caregivers.