Employed Care Partners Experienced More Depressive Symptoms During the Coronavirus Pandemic Than Unemployed or Retired Care Partners

Abstract

Research Objectives

To determine differences in depressive symptoms and general anxiety symptoms between working and non-working care partners during the coronavirus pandemic.

Design

Survey study.

Setting

Community.

Participants

49 family care partners of individuals with neurological conditions who were employed(n=16), unemployed(n=4) or retired(n=25) during the coronavirus pandemic.

Interventions

N/A.

Main Outcome Measures

Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ-8;depressive symptoms), General Anxiety Disorder(GAD-7;general anxiety symptoms).

Results

Half(50%) of employed care partners, 37.5% of unemployed care partners, and 40% of retired care partners reported at least moderate depression(PHQ>10). Half(50%) of employed care partners, half(50%) of unemployed care partners, and 32% of retired care partners reported at least moderate anxiety(GAD>11). 69% reported that their responses on the survey were affected by the pandemic, 21% said that were not, and 10% did not respond to this question. A qualitative review of responses to the open-ended question “how has the pandemic affected you?” revealed that 11 care partners reported being confined at home, 4 reported social isolation, and 12 endorsed both home confinement and social isolation. Care partners also expressed the pandemic's impact on their work(n=3), depression/boredom of the care recipient and care partner(n=1) and added stress from masking policies in public spaces(n=1). As a result of the preventative measures put in place in response to the pandemic, many care partners faced limitations in their outings and essential errands.

Conclusions

Our results indicate a larger proportion of care partners who are employed during the pandemic reported clinically significant depression compared to care partners who are unemployed or retired. This is likely due to care partners having to independently juggle between staying employed, care recipients’ needs, and changes to the environment due to the pandemic. In addition, with social distancing measures put in place, care partners have to quickly incorporate these measures on their own to ensure their safety; thus, increasing care partners’ workload and stress. Future studies should focus on interventions that would help care partners to be able to manage care recipients’ needs, their own needs and other environmental stressors.

Author(s) Disclosures

N/A.