Depression and Quality of Life among Family Caregivers of Patients with Parkinson's Disease in South Korea

파킨슨병 환자 가족의 우울과 삶의 질

ression and quality of life of family caregivers of patients with Parkinson's disease(PD). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in one neurology outpatient clinic in Seoul, Korea from March to June, 2006. Sixty eight family caregivers of PD patients were participated to the study, using CES-D and SF-36. Results: Mean scores of depression were $16.18{\pm}8.39$ (range: 0-48) and it was a little lower than caregiver's who took care of Dementia patients and were higher than primary caregivers of the patients with Stroke. Time for caregiving, perceived severity, duration of PD were significantly related with depression respectively. Higher ADL scores which mean greater motor disabilities were related to higher caregiver depression. Lower income and greater medical expenditure were closely related with the depression of family caregivers respectively. The mean scores of total QOL were $435.5{\pm}96.5$ and the mean scores of PF, SF, RE and MH were lower than general population. Time for caregiving, depression, patients' ADL scores were significantly associated with QOL respectively. People who were older and had lower educational background showed lower QOL scores respectively. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should pay more attention to emotional aspects of caregivers who take care of PD patients, and develop comprehensive management strategies both for patients and their caregivers.