Caregiver quality of life in multiple sclerosis: a multicentre Italian study

¹ Department of Neurology, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy
² Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 85, 50100 Florence, Italy
³ Institute of Hygiene, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro, 53100 Siena, Italy
⁴ Medical Department, Industria Farmaceutica Serono, Via Casilina 125, 00176 Rome, Italy
⁵ Department of Critical Area, University of Florence, 50100 Florence, Italy
⁶ Department of Neurology, ASL 3, 17100 Genova, Italy
⁷ Department of Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Sciences, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70100 Bari, Italy

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

	Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of multiple sclerosis (MS) caregivers, and to determine relationships that may exist between caregiver and patient QoL. Patients with definite MS (n=445) and their caregivers (n=445) were required to complete the generic, 36-item short-form (SF-36) Health Survey. Median SF-36 dimension scores ranged from 55 to 100 for caregivers and from 46 to 78 for patients. Although the QoL of MS carers was not as severely affected as that of patients, caregiving was associated with lower mental health, vitality and general health scores, compared to healthy subjects. Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences between the predictors of patient QoL and caregiver QoL. The main predictors of patient QoL were Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, MS course, fatigue and depression. Female gender and advanced age were the main predictors of lower QoL in caregivers. In addition, patient BDI score was found to be a significant predictor of almost all caregiver SF-36 dimension scores, while EDSS score, disease duration and course, and patient therapeutic characteristics were found to be predictors of some caregiver SF-36 dimension scores. Therefore, caregiver QoL was significantly influenced by patient characteristics, and supportive strategies for MS caregivers are warranted.

Key Words: caregivers, depression, multiple sclerosis, quality of life

First published on January 29, 2007, doi:10.1177/1352458506070707

Multiple Sclerosis 2007;13:412.

A more recent version of this article appeared on April 1, 2007


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