Factors associated with life satisfaction among family caregivers of persons living with dementia

Purpose: Because family caregivers provide a considerable amount of daily care to persons living with dementia, they are at risk of experiencing poor life satisfaction. Therefore, this study aimed to examine factors associated with the life satisfaction of family caregivers of persons living with dementia. Methods: Data were collected through surveys from family caregivers (N=183), and a multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the factors associated with their life satisfaction. Results: The final model indicated that perceiving support from intimate others as helpful (β=.22, p<.001) was associated with greater life satisfaction, whereas a negative relationship with the care recipients (β=−.15, p=.046) and greater psychological burden (β=−.40, p<.001) were associated with poorer life satisfaction (Adjusted R2=0.49, F=20.42, p<.001). Conclusion: Public policy should focus on providing greater support to family caregivers. Furthermore, healthcare professionals should implement intervention programs for family caregivers that focus on lowering their psychological burden.