Mental health of caregivers of individuals with disabilities: Relation to Suicidal Ideation

Objective The mental health of caregivers of individuals with disabilities is frequently neglected. This study investigated mental health status and Suicidal Ideation (SI) among caregivers and examined the predictive factors for SI. Method Caregivers of individuals with physical or mental disabilities in a tertiary hospital in southern Taiwan were recruited through snowball sampling. They were assessed by self-report questionnaires, consisting of the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire and a subset of the three-item Chinese Health Questionnaire, to assess probable depression and common mental disorders (CMDs), with cutoff points of 19 and 3, respectively. Results Among 255 caregivers, 32.9% had probable depression, 37.6% had probable CMDs, and 18.8% experienced SI. The level of SI was correlated with primary caregivers (p = 0.015), lack of support from co-caregivers (p = 0.023), caring for younger patients (p = 0.010), caring for patients with mental disability (p = 0.019) or catastrophic diseases (p = 0.005), and caregivers' probable depression (p < 0.001) and CMDs (p < 0.001). Regression analysis predicted the greatest SI among caregivers caring for younger patients (odds ratio [OR] = 0.98, p = 0.048) and for patients with catastrophic diseases (OR = 3.15, p = 0.008), as well as for caregivers with probable depression (OR = 3.90, p = 0.010) or CMDs (OR = 9.40, p < 0.001). Conclusions When examining SI, clinicians should be aware of the mental health of caregivers who are responsible for people with disability. In particular, they should be vigilant regarding caregivers of individuals who are of younger age or have catastrophic diseases and regarding caregivers who exhibit probable depression and CMDs.