Mental Health Status among Individuals with Spouses Residing in Long-term Care Facilities: Using Propensity Score Matching

Purpose: The number of older adults with dementia who reside in long-term care institutions has significantly grown. When older adults with dementia are institutionalized, their spouses, who were providing care at home, may experience chronic mental health conditions. This study examined and compared the mental health status of older adults who institutionalized their spouses with dementia in long-term care institutions versus that of older adults who reside with their spouses in their homes.Methods: The analysis included 95 spouses of institutionalized individuals and 285 control group participants, drawn from 63,617 participants of the 2018 Korean Community Health Survey.Results: The results showed that the spouses of institutionalized individuals with dementia had more depressive symptoms, poorer sleep quality, and experienced greater stress than those in the control group.Conclusion: It is necessary to provide supportive care, for alleviating depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and stress, to individuals whose spouses are residing in long-term care facilities. For a spouse caregiver, navigation help and education on the changing roles after an older adult’s admission to a long-term care facility would be necessary.