Factors Predicting Quality of Life among Family Caregivers of Older Persons with Chronic Disease in Community, Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Abstract

The cross-sectional analytical research aimed to study 1) quality of life of family caregivers of elderly with chronic illnesses in the community Nakhon Ratchasima province and 2) factors predicting quality of life of elderly caregivers with chronic illnesses in the community. The sample group was 152 caregivers of chronically ill elderly in the community of Mueang district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. The tool used to collect the data was the WHO quality of life assessment questionnaire with 26 questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as chi-square, Pearson’s correlation coefficients and multiple regression statistics. The research results showed that the quality of life of most of the sample was at a good level at 57.9 percent, followed by a moderate level at 42.1 percent. There were two factors affecting the quality of life of the elderly caregivers, namely income (β=0.410, p<0.001) and number of family members (β=0.307, p<0.001) and were able to jointly predict the quality of life level of the samples with a prediction coefficient of 24.3% (R²=0.243, p<0.001). The results of this study can be used as the basis for enhancing health literacy and quality of life of elderly caregivers with chronic illnesses in the community.