Self-reported physical and mental health of Australian carers: a cross-sectional study
Objective: To report on self-reported physical and mental health of informal carers in rural regions of New South Wales, Australia. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based sample (n=222) of carers completed a questionnaire incorporating self-reported measures of health from validated international instruments including Medical Outcomes Study Scale (SF-36), the Centre for Epidemiology-Depression (CES-D) and Kessler-10 (K-10) Psychological Distress Scales, along with information on participant demographics and other key caregiving characteristics such as health condition of care recipient. Results: Rural carers' self-reported health was poor as evident on the SF-36 Physical and Mental Health component scores as well as each individual domain of the SF-36. Results from the CES-D and K-10 scores indicated very high rates of depressive symptoms and psychological distress. Over 70% of carers within the current study had CES-D scores indicative of depressive symptoms. Scores on the K-10 indicate almost half the carers were experiencing high levels of psychological distress, which is over 4 times the rate reported in the general Australian population. Conclusions and implications: Results from this study were compared to Australian population normative data and were found to be significantly below Australian age-matched population norms for SF-36, CES-D and K-10. These findings illustrate the poor health profile of informal carers relative to the general Australian population, especially in terms of depressive symptoms and psychological distress. This highlights the need for additional support for rural carers in order to ease the accumulated mental and physical health burdens of this group.
Physical and mental health of informal caregivers in northern regional New South Wales
Background: Informal carers play a vital role in our society particularly in rural areas where options for health services are limited. Informal carers receive minimal support from organisations, financial assistance from the government, and burnout is commonly described as a problem in the literature. Approach: A survey of informal carers designed as a pilot questionnaire was conducted with 225 participants from regional northern New South Wales. Questions on demographics, perceptions of health services, support groups, validated measures of mental and physical health (SF36, CESD and K10) were also used to assess the status of this group. Outcomes/results: Most carers were female (86%), primary caregivers (83%) who resided with the care recipient (75%). Many respondents had low physical and mental health scores, the latter correlating with clinical levels of depression. Carer Support groups were seldom utilised (27%). Take home message: • This cohort is a vulnerable group and without appropriate intervention and support experience poor health which may compound social and economic disadvantage. Preventative health measures need to be put in place to alleviate vulnerability. • A study with a larger sample size to better understand the interplay between geographic and other disadvantages is recommended to best advise rural policies for intervention.
Suicide amongst people with intellectual disability: An Australian online study of disability support staff experiences and perceptions
Background Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) have a higher likelihood of exposure to identified risk factors for suicide when compared with the general community and have been recognised as being both capable of forming intent for suicide and acting on this intent. However, in spite of research outlining these concerns from the 1970s, there remains a dearth of studies that examine suicide amongst the population of people with ID. Method An online cross-sectional survey was purposively developed, with questions aimed at identifying both the experiences and current practices of support staff who assist people with ID in relation to suicide, suicidal behaviour and suicide assessment. It was undertaken across both rural and metropolitan areas in Australia. The survey was open for a period of 12 months. A total of 139 respondents (109 female/30 male), with a mean age of 41 and an average 12 years of experience in supporting people with ID, completed the tool. Results A total of nine suicides by people with ID were reported. Seventy-seven per cent of the respondents reported that they had individuals with ID display suicidal behaviours, and 76% noted that a person had specifically talked about wishing to end their life. Only four participants (3%) noted that they did not support individuals with a dual diagnosis of ID and mental health concern. Sixty per cent of participants reported that no one in their organisation had ever completed a suicide risk assessment, and only 28% reported that they would do a suicide risk assessment if an individual that they supported was diagnosed with a mental health issue. Conclusions The current findings indicate that support staff recognise the capacity of people with ID to conceptualise suicide, note the existence of suicidal discussions and behaviours and report on actual suicides. This represents one of the few Australian studies that has specifically considered suicide amongst this cohort of people and reinforces the fact that suicide is not unknown in this population. The data indicate a possible divide between the reports of people with ID actively talking about and acting on suicidal thoughts and the lack of any proactive use of any tools to assess for this risk.