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Schischlevskij P, Cordts I, Günther R, Stolte B, Zeller D, Schröter C, Weyen U, Regensburger M, Wolf J, Schneider I, Hermann A, Metelmann M, Kohl Z, Linker RA, Koch JC, Stendel C, Müschen LH, Osmanovic A, Binz C, Klopstock T, Dorst J, Ludolph AC, Boentert M, Hagenacker T, Deschauer M, Lingor P, Petri S, Schreiber-Katz O. Informal Caregiving in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): A High Caregiver Burden and Drastic Consequences on Caregivers' Lives. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060748. [PMID: 34200087 PMCID: PMC8228206 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive autonomy loss and need for care. This does not only affect patients themselves, but also the patients’ informal caregivers (CGs) in their health, personal and professional lives. The big efforts of this multi-center study were not only to evaluate the caregivers’ burden and to identify its predictors, but it also should provide a specific understanding of the needs of ALS patients’ CGs and fill the gap of knowledge on their personal and work lives. Using standardized questionnaires, primary data from patients and their main informal CGs (n = 249) were collected. Patients’ functional status and disease severity were evaluated using the Barthel Index, the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) and the King’s Stages for ALS. The caregivers’ burden was recorded by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Comorbid anxiety and depression of caregivers were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Additionally, the EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale evaluated their health-related quality of life. The caregivers’ burden was high (mean ZBI = 26/88, 0 = no burden, ≥24 = highly burdened) and correlated with patients’ functional status (rp = −0.555, p < 0.001, n = 242). It was influenced by the CGs’ own mental health issues due to caregiving (+11.36, 95% CI [6.84; 15.87], p < 0.001), patients’ wheelchair dependency (+9.30, 95% CI [5.94; 12.66], p < 0.001) and was interrelated with the CGs’ depression (rp = 0.627, p < 0.001, n = 234), anxiety (rp = 0.550, p < 0.001, n = 234), and poorer physical condition (rp = −0.362, p < 0.001, n = 237). Moreover, female CGs showed symptoms of anxiety more often, which also correlated with the patients’ impairment in daily routine (rs = −0.280, p < 0.001, n = 169). As increasing disease severity, along with decreasing autonomy, was the main predictor of caregiver burden and showed to create relevant (negative) implications on CGs’ lives, patient care and supportive therapies should address this issue. Moreover, in order to preserve the mental and physical health of the CGs, new concepts of care have to focus on both, on not only patients but also their CGs and gender-associated specific issues. As caregiving in ALS also significantly influences the socioeconomic status by restrictions in CGs’ work lives and income, and the main reported needs being lack of psychological support and a high bureaucracy, the situation of CGs needs more attention. Apart from their own multi-disciplinary medical and psychological care, more support in care and patient management issues is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Schischlevskij
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (P.S.); (L.H.M.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Isabell Cordts
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany; (I.C.); (M.D.); (P.L.)
| | - René Günther
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany;
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stolte
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (B.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Daniel Zeller
- Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany;
| | - Carsten Schröter
- Hoher Meißner Clinic, Neurology, 37242 Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Germany;
| | - Ute Weyen
- Department of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG-Kliniken Bergmannsheil, 44789 Bochum, Germany;
| | - Martin Regensburger
- Department of Molecular Neurology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Joachim Wolf
- Department of Neurology, Diakonissen Hospital Mannheim, 68163 Mannheim, Germany;
| | - Ilka Schneider
- Department of Neurology, Martin-Luther University Halle/Saale, 06120 Halle, Germany;
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Sankt Georg, 04129 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andreas Hermann
- Translational Neurodegeneration Section “Albrecht-Kossel”, Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Rostock, University of Rostock, 18147 Rostock, Germany;
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock/Greifswald, 18147 Rostock, Germany
| | - Moritz Metelmann
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany;
| | - Zacharias Kohl
- Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (Z.K.); (R.A.L.)
| | - Ralf A. Linker
- Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (Z.K.); (R.A.L.)
| | - Jan Christoph Koch
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany;
| | - Claudia Stendel
- Department of Neurology, Friedrich-Baur Institute, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany; (C.S.); (T.K.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Lars H. Müschen
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (P.S.); (L.H.M.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Alma Osmanovic
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (P.S.); (L.H.M.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Camilla Binz
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (P.S.); (L.H.M.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Thomas Klopstock
- Department of Neurology, Friedrich-Baur Institute, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany; (C.S.); (T.K.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 80336 Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Dorst
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (J.D.); (A.C.L.)
| | - Albert C. Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (J.D.); (A.C.L.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Matthias Boentert
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Translational Neurology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany;
- Department of Medicine, UKM Marienhospital, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany
| | - Tim Hagenacker
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (B.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Marcus Deschauer
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany; (I.C.); (M.D.); (P.L.)
| | - Paul Lingor
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany; (I.C.); (M.D.); (P.L.)
| | - Susanne Petri
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (P.S.); (L.H.M.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Olivia Schreiber-Katz
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (P.S.); (L.H.M.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (S.P.)
- Correspondence:
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Ravens-Sieberer U, Karow A, Barthel D, Klasen F. How to assess quality of life in child and adolescent psychiatry. DIALOGUES IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE 2015. [PMID: 25152654 PMCID: PMC4140509 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2014.16.2/usieberer] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This article provides an overview of the conceptual foundations of measuring health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents in child and adolescent psychiatry, and of the current state of research in this field. The available procedures for determining quality of life are presented according to their areas of use and their psychometric characteristics. The internationally available generic instruments for measuring HRQoL in children are identified and assessed in terms of their strengths and weaknesses with regard to selected criteria. As a result, seven generic HRQoL instruments and two utility procedures have been identified which satísfy the following criteria: (i) psychometric qualíty; (ii) age-appropriate measurement; (iii) versions for self-reporting and external rating; and (iv) cross-cultural measurement. The identified instruments satisfy the individual criteria to different degrees. They are increasingly being used in health services research, treatment studies, and epidemiological research; however, they are not yet widely used as part of the clinical routine in child and adolescent psychiatrics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer
- Child Public Health Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anne Karow
- Psychiatric Clinic, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dana Barthel
- Child Public Health Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fionna Klasen
- Child Public Health Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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