Objective: The psychological impact of care giving responsibility for dementia patients is significant regardless of the cultural background. Most of the current advanced caregivers’ interventions, originating from developed western countries, do not necessarily apply to local settings. Hence, there is a need for an effective culturally competent psychological intervention for these caregivers. The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of the cultural-based support group for Malay caregivers of dementia patients in Kelantan towards their burden, anxiety and depression level, and quality of life.
Methods: This was an experimental study, without control, investigating pre and post support group intervention effectiveness in reducing caregiver burden, anxiety and depression, and improving the quality of life. Sixteen caregivers completed the program, which involved seven fortnightly support group sessions with duration of 2 hours each, conducted over twelve weeks. Caregivers’ burden was assessed using Caregiver Strain Index (CSI) while their psychological well-being was objectively assessed using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). WHO Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to measure the quality of life. The validated Malay versions of the questionnaires were used.
Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in the level of caregiver burden (p = or < 0.001). Measurement of both scores of anxiety and depression comparing pre and post intervention also showed improvement, but statistically were not significant. Assessment of caregivers’ quality of life showed statistically significant improvement in the domains of social, psychological and physical (all with the p-value <0.05). Discussion: Our cultural-based support group is an effective intervention to improve burden, psychological well-being and quality of life among local caregivers of dementia patients.
Keyword: Dementia Caregivers, Support Group, Malay, Burden, Quality of Life
Study site: Memory clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan, Malaysia
Depression is a curable debilitating illness that becomes a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The prevalence of depression is underrecognized among adolescents. The study is conducted to determine the prevalence of depression among secondary school students of Kuantan Malaysia. Materials and method: We conduct a quantitative cross-sectional study. A population of 414 students from two urban schools, two rural schools, and one international school will participate in the study. The assessment tool used is the Malaysian version of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21). Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 21 (SPSS IBM, New York, USA). Factors associated with depressive symptoms will be analyzed using multi Variate logistic regression analysis. Results: Prevalence of depression in Kuantan, Malaysia will be compared to the same international trends. Conclusion: Our study can determine and compare the prevalence of depression in different categories. Education and early interventions of depressed adolescents will add extra value of the project.