The Role of Home Health for Community-Dwelling Older Adults at the End of Life: A Resource Beyond Hospice? (GP735)

about the mental health of caregivers of children with medical complexity (CMCs) is limited.Objective(s).1) Describe CMC caregiver mental health and compare to the US general population, and examine relationships between CMC caregiver mental health and caregiver and child characteristics.Method(s).Family caregivers of CMCs receiving care at a pediatric complex care center within a tertiary-care children's hospital were surveyed from May 2021 to September 2021.Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instruments assessed multiple domains of caregiver mental health.We used summary statistics and t-tests to describe PROMIS mental health scores and compare them to US population norms.Chi-squared analyses and Fisher's exact testing examined relationships between caregiver emotional distress and child and caregiver characteristics.Results.Among 91 family caregivers of CMCs, PROMIS mean scores for anxiety (57.8), depression (53.2), anger (57.8), fatigue (57.0), and sleep impairment (54.9) were significantly higher than those of the general US population (standardized mean of 50; all p >.001).CMC caregivers also reported significantly lower ability to manage their emotions (mean 47.0; p < .001).One-quarter to one-half of our sample met PROMIS cutoffs for poor or fair global mental health and moderate or severe symptoms of anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, and sleeprelated impairment.In tests of association, the relationships between receiving home care nursing support and caregiver global mental health, anxiety, and depression approached statistical significance (p < 0.05).Child and caregiver age, caregiver educational attainment, and child medical technology status were not significantly associated with caregiver mental health.Conclusion(s).Caregivers of CMCs report lower mental health and higher levels of emotional distress than the general US population.Home care nursing support was associated with CMC caregiver reports of global mental health, anxiety, and depression.Impact.Caregivers of CMCs report elevated levels of anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, sleep-related impairment, and reduced ability to control emotions.Future psychosocial interventions should consider targeting these mental health domains.