Our study aimed to clarify the relationship between feeling of care burden and social supports （SS） among family caregivers living in mountainous areas, and to compare those by the problem behavior of elderly people requiring long-term care. Subjects in our study were 246 family caregivers living in the mountainous area of Shimane prefecture. This study was a questionnaire survey. Of responses, 134 subjects were eligible. We divided into two groups with high or low feelings of nursing care burden. We compared between these groups by statistical analyses. In the results, those with feeling of higher care burden had less in the total scores of the SS, the emotional support scores in the family, and the instrumental support scores except the family than those with feeling of lower burden. In the families who have a member with problem behavior of elderly people requiring longterm care, those with feeling of higher care burden had significantly less in both the emotional and instrumental support scores in the family than those with feeling of lower burden. Our results indicated that the supports which provide by family members except main caregivers may effect to decrease feeling of care burden for caregivers.

本研究の目的は、中山間地域在住の家族介護者の介護負担感とソーシャルサポート（social support: 以下SS）との関連、および要介護者の問題行動の有無別にこれらの関連を明らかにすることを目的とした。島根県の中山間地域在住の家族介護者246 名を対象に、質問紙調査法にて研究を行った。回答不備を除く134 名の結果を分析対象として介護負担感の高、低群について二群間比較を行った。結果、介護負担感高群は低群に比べ、SSの合計得点、家族内情緒的・手段的サポート得点、家族外手段的サポート得点が有意に低かった。要介護者が問題行動を有する場合は、介護負担感高群は低群に比べ、SSの合計得点、家族内情緒的・手段的サポート得点が有意に低かった。家族介護者以外の家族から提供されるSSを促進するための具体的な支援策が、介護負担感の軽減に有効であると考えられた。