Job Demands and the Effects on Quality of Life of Employed Family Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Employed family caregivers are affected by job demands, which can affect quality of care provided to recipients. However, it is important to understand how job demands and the ability to reconcile employment and caregiving influence family caregivers' quality of life. Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which job demands influenced quality of life for employed family caregivers of older adults with dementia in Taiwan. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed secondary data from self-completed questionnaires collected from December 2010 to December 2011. Participants were 214 employed family caregivers of older adults with dementia in Taiwan. How job demands and caregiving influence quality of life was determined with hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Job demands included working hours, workplace inflexibility, work inefficiency, and difficulty in reconciling work and family caregiving. Results After controlling for demographics, caregiving resources, and caregiving role demands, employed family caregivers of older adults with dementia with fewer working hours and greater work efficiency reported significantly better quality of life (β =-.130, p =.049; β =-.263, p <.001) than those with more working hours and less work efficiency. Conclusions/Implications for Practice Employed family caregivers of older adults with dementia who had more working hours and less work efficiency had a greater likelihood of poorer quality of life than other employed family caregivers. Clinicians could use these findings to identify groups at high risk for poor quality of life. We suggest developing policies and interventions to help employed family caregivers of older adults with dementia to reduce working hours and improve work efficiency in order to improve quality of life, which could also improve quality of care for recipients.