[Decreased family caregiver satisfaction with diabetes treatment of elderly patients is associated with patient depressive symptoms].

Objective: To examine the relationship between the dissatisfaction of family caregivers with diabetes treatment and depressive symptoms among the elderly.

Methods: The subjects were diabetic patients of 65 years of age or older and their family caregivers, who were outpatients at Ise Red Cross Hospital. The Japanese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9, which consists of nine items, was used to measure depressive symptoms. The Japanese version of the Treatment Satisfaction Scale for Caregivers of Dependent Diabetic Patients (STCD₂-J) was used to measure the satisfaction of family caregivers with diabetes treatment. A logistic regression analysis was performed using depressive symptoms as dependent variable, satisfaction of the family caregiver with diabetes treatment as an explanatory variable, and adjustment variables.

Results: In total, 272 patients were included in the analysis. Taking the quintiles of STCD₂-J scores, the adjusted odds ratios for patient depressive symptoms in Q2 (27-29), Q3 (24-26), Q4 (22-23) and Q5 (14-21) based on Q1 (30-36) (the group with the highest STCD₂-J scores) were 2.44 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.69-8.61; P=0.163), 3.08 (95% CI, 0.93-10.12; P=0.063), 2.69 (95% CI, 0.68-10.65; P=0.156), and 4.54 (95% CI, 1.44-14.32; P=0.010), respectively.

Conclusion: We found that family caregivers' decreased satisfaction with diabetes treatment was associated with depressive symptoms. It is important to alert primary care physicians about depressive symptoms when they see family caregivers who show decreased satisfaction with diabetes treatment.