Factors Influencing Quality of Life Among Caregivers of Dependent Elderly Persons in Chanthaburi Province

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the quality of life and influencing factors on the quality of life of caregivers of the dependent elderly in Chanthaburi Province. Participants were 334 main caregivers such as offsprings and relatives of the elderly who were between 18-59 years old. They were selected by using stratified sampling method. Data were collected by questionnaire from 19 Janu­ary - 28 February 2018; and were analyzed by Chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the quality of life of caregivers of dependent elderly was at good level (63.5%). The influencing factors and predictors of the quality of life of caregivers of dependent elderly included self-esteem, health service accessibility, health status of caregivers, social supporting, income, attitude to care the elderly, duration of care, and marital status significant level. (Beta=0.531, 0.311, -0.305, 0.233, 0.160, 0.158, -0.118 and 0.084, respectively) (p<0.05). These factors could predict the quality of life of caregivers of dependent elderly by 58.1%. Thus, the department of health promotion office and social welfare in Chanthaburi Province should promote and support self-esteem, good attitude to care the elderly, good health service accessibility, and sufficient income that would lead to the better quality of life of the caregivers.