Health-Related Quality of Life of Family Members Living with a Person with Dementia: The Moderating Effect of Gender

Background: Cohabitation with a family member with dementia can adversely affect a caregiver's health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and this burden may vary by gender.However, no study in Korea has empirically examined the gender-specific effects of living with a person with dementia on HRQoL. Methods:We analyzed data from 24,874 adults who responded to a question regarding cohabitation with a family member with dementia in the 2024 Korea Community Health Survey.Between-group differences in EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D) index scores were independent-samples t-tests and ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc multiple comparisons.Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the association between the EQ-5D index and cohabitation status.An interaction term between gender and cohabitation status was included to test for the moderating effect of gender.Results: Among the 24,874 participants, 53.7% were women, and 15.0% were living with a family member with dementia.EQ-5D scores were significantly lower among cohabitants than among non-cohabitants (B=-0.029,P<0.0001).Men had significantly higher EQ-5D index scores than women (B=0.004,P=0.0139).In the gender-stratefied, cohabitation was associated with lower EQ-5D in both men and women (men B=-0.017, women B=-0.039,P<0.0001), with a greater decline in women. Conclusion:This is the first study in Korea to demonstrate a differential effect of cohabiting with a family member with dementia on HRQoL by gender, with larger declines observed among women.Future research should examine gender-related differences in caregivers' psychosocial profiles and care needs.